Speedy Bircher Muesli

I was in need of a 'healthy' recipe today. I have been blogging much more since christmas and, as a result, I've been baking much more..... and, yes you've guessed it, eating much more. This may seem like a good thing, but when I realised that it was not just the zip on one pair of trousers that was pulling, I knew I couldn't blame the washing machine. So I had a week without much cooking, feeling a bit disenfranchised by the whole business... how could my oven be so cruel? But this morning I was determined to cook. There are plenty of delicious, healthy recipes out there, I just had to find them (they always seem to get hidden behind a particularly alluring cake recipe.. I don't know how that happens!)

Many a time I have considered making bircher muesli, but I always think about it in the morning, about 20 minutes before I need to leave the house. Most recipes call for an overnight 'soak' of the oats and milk, so every time I had the urge to make it, I was forced to disappointedly return to my daily bowl of packet cereal. But today I was determined to find a solution, and I think I've got it. Instead of soaking the oats, I microwaved them like you would for quick porridge, then added cold milk to cool it down. I used less milk than normal when microwaving the oats so that I could then mix in the cold milk afterwards (to get it down to the right temperature, without making it too loose in consistency).

Ingredients and method:

Serves 1

Method uses jumbo porridge oats as I think they give a slightly nuttier flavour, but rolled porridge oats would work. However, these would need less milk and less cooking time so watch them carefully.

• Pour 40g jumbo oats into a bowl and add enough (skimmed) milk just to cover them.
• Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir and microwave for another minute (adding a little milk if necessary, but don't add lots - about 150ml in total).
• Finely grate in half a sweet apple, including the peel (but not the core).
• Add about 50-100ml of cold (skimmed) milk to loosen the mixture and add 1 1/2 tbsp natural yoghurt.
• Pour into a bowl, add an extra dollop of yogurt, a handful of raspberries (I used frozen ones which I defrosted in the microwave - giving them a slight sauce), a few chopped pecans and a drizzle of honey.

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