Strawberry Banana Nut Muesli
Add to favorites
~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
This simple cereal is packed with flavor, with the sun-kissed sweetness of the strawberries, the earthy richness of maple syrup, the creaminess of the homemade almond milk and the spicy, woodsy flavor of the cinnamon.
I am in love with muesli style cereals. I love them with almond milk poured over the top… taking in one spoonful at a time. I love them soaked in milk for an hour. I even love them soaked overnight… sitting there waiting for me to wake up! Another great way that I really really enjoy is with yogurt swirled in. It just sends me to the moon… don’t forget to get a round trip ticket. hehe
Bugs in my kitchen!!
So, I was in the kitchen creating a few recipes. I had Christmas music playing (yes Christmas music), I was singing, dancing, and swiftly moving about the kitchen… tossing spices here, oats there, and just having a grand ole’ time. With a dehydrator tray in hand, making my way to the pantry, I spotted a bug on the floor.
In all my grace and glory, I screamed and darted the opposite direction… losing balance of the tray in hand, I slipped and tripped and wiped out on the floor… I was now eye level with the BUG!! OMG!!!! I froze. I quickly marveled at my skills which allowed me to keep the tray high in the air with all cereal still on it.
I took a deep breath, turned my head and spied the bug…. I squinted to focus on just what type of bug it was that caused SUCH a commotion… it was a raisin!! OY-VEY! I regained my composure, stood up, put the tray in the dehydrator, popped the “bug” in my mouth and limped away (think I pulled a muscle in my right ovary! lol) Ever have days like that? The things I go through just to create a cereal! Hehe, I really hope that I have somehow inspired you to make this recipe. I would love to hear what you think down below in the comment section.
Ingredients:
Yields roughly 5 cups muesli
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, soaked
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 cup raw almonds, soaked
- 1 cup raw pecans, soaked
- 1 cup flax seeds
- 8 ripe bananas
- 16 oz strawberries, organic (I used frozen ones that were thawed)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or equivalent
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sea Himalayan pink salt
- 2 bananas, ripe (I sliced these, tossed them with cinnamon and then dehydrated)
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, organic (sliced and dehydrated)
Preparation:
- After soaking the oats, drain and rinse for 2 minutes under cool water.
- Use your fingers to agitate them.
- Hand squeeze the excess water and place in a large bowl.
- Drain and rinse the nuts. Place them in the food processor, pulse chop into small- medium bits. Add to the bowl with the oats and flax seeds.
- Place the flax seeds in grinder and pulse a few times, just enough to crack their shell. This will help your body in absorbing their nutrients. Don’t over process and make it into flour.
- Back in the food processor combine; 8 bananas, 16 oz strawberries, sweetener, chia seeds, lemon juice, and salt. Process until everything is nice and creamy.
- Pour the “sauce” over the oats/nuts/seeds and mix until everything is well coated.
- Set aside and give the chia/flax seeds some time to absorb any loose liquid. Maybe 10-20 minutes.
- During this wait time, you can tend to the remaining bananas and fresh strawberries.
- Take the 2 remaining bananas, the 2 cups of fresh strawberries and slice them all up. Place them on the mesh sheets that come with your dehydrator.
- Now take the cereal mixture that has thickened up and spread it on the non-stick teflex sheets. The thinner you spread it, the quicker it will dry.
- Dehydrate everything at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees (F) for 16-24 hours.
- At the half-way mark remove the teflex sheets, allowing the granola to continue drying on the mesh sheets until it is dry.
- Dry times will always vary depending on the climate, humidity and how thick or thin you spread the mixture.
- Once done and cooled, place in the food processor and process until it reaches a small crumble.
- Store in a glass container.
- Enjoy with milk, yogurt, or even juice. I like to add almond milk and let it sit overnight. It creates a nice porridge-like texture with small crunchy bits.
The Institute of Culinary Ingredients™
- What is Himalayan pink salt and does it really matter? Click (here) to read more about it.
- Are oats gluten-free? Yes, read more about that (here).
- Are oats raw? Yes, they can be found. Click (here) to learn more.
- Do I need to soak and dehydrate oats? Not required but recommended. Click (here) to see why.
- Learn how to grind you own flaxseeds for ultimate freshness and nutrition. Click (here).
Culinary Explanations:
- Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
- When working with fresh ingredients, it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
- Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Dehydrated, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, Vegan
My Goodness Amie Sue, you gave us a whole culinary workshop on line. So delighted! THANK YOU! I read all read ( heres), learn and put into practice with great results. With such respect and owe of your love and passion i read about your food creations. So delicate, attentive and passionate for whole-be-ing. I understand that food is not the only pillar of health yet you create a place of beauty and attention that brings joy to all sensations. Thank you for your culinary guidance in such perfection and so generous. I wish i can meet you one day and have a cup of tea with you in beautiful Oregon. Gratitude and Blessings
Well Afsaneh, I do my best to share what I learn and to lay things out in a teaching format. People may not realize it, but after making such recipes as this one… may skills and techniques are learnt. That is my heart… to teach. Thank you so much for your loving and encouraging words, it means a lot. :) I think we would need a pot of tea to last through out culinary chatting. hehe That would be fun. Life is full of surprises so one never knows. Blessings and joy to you… amie sue
Amy Sue you are truly gifted with creativity. Thank you so much for your willingness to share the fruits of your labor. I can relate to your bug story. There have been a few times when I have not recognized a raisin as a raisin. Your agility and balance in keeping your tray from being upset is admirable. Quite a feat as you plummeted to the floor. Thanks for sharing the story. Laughter is good medicine. Looking forward to making this recipe and giving it as gifts in decorated mason jars. Be abundantly blessed as you are such a blessing.
Thank you Judith… it’s times like this that just make a person sit back and laugh. I agree, laughter is good medicine. :) Life is full of stories, it’s the light that we choose to see them in that makes a difference. Darn… yummy…. raisins. lol
Have a blessed day and keep me posted if you try the recipe. amie sue
When you add the almond milk to sit overnight, do you leave it on the counter or put in fridge? Will I be eating cold oatmeal? Can’t wait to try!
Good morning Donna. I leave it on the counter. It can go in the fridge too… but I like mine at room temp and since there isn’t any dairy in it, I don’t have to worry about anything spoiling. Blessings, amie sue
Hello Amie-Sue! Since I’d just be soaking these nuts for this recipe, I’m assuming I could just do one cup of each with 2 cups of water? And stagger when I start each one since they seem to have different soaking times! A bit of a hassle just the first time but I usually copy recipe into Word and make good notes.. I LOVE bananas and strawberries together! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Sincerely,
Trish
Hello Trish,
I am not sure I understand what you are saying here, “I’m assuming I could just do one cup of each with 2 cups of water? ” Please clarify so I can better understand and help. When it comes to soaking nuts and seeds, I use my times listed as a basic time frame. IF I am soaking a bunch of nuts for a recipes, I typically do them for the same time frames and not get too caught in exact times.
I look forward in hearing back from you. Blessings amie sue
oh my God … nutrition and beauty in a bowl (I shared on Tumblr)
Indeed… beautifully said Angie :) Thank you for sharing on Tumblr. Have a wonderful evening, amie sue
thank you, love … and I hope you have a wonderful weekend too xox xox xox