Endlessly Adaptable Overnight Muesli
Making use of fresh berries and pantry staples like oats and seeds, this recipe can be adapted using anything you have on hand.
*Originally adapted from the muesli recipe in The Alpine Co...
Now is the Time to Become a Flexible Cook
Get creative with what's on hand.
In times like these, it's more important than ever to be flexible, both in the kitchen and out in the world.
Most of us have stocked our pantries with the basics, which for me includes things like rice, olive oil, dried beans, oats, and nuts, so weekly trips to get provisions now center around fresh fruits and vegetables, which simply can't be stockpiled.
Though farmers markets are closed, many San Diego Farms have opened on-site farm stands where you can practice social distancing while picking up local produce and supporting our area farms directly.
At Cyclops Farms in Oceanside, Luke Girling has been extending his Saturday stand hours to accommodate demand, and after getting a few pints of his amazing bumper crop of strawberries, I was inspired to hit the pantry and make a big batch of muesli.
My own recipe is an adaptation of the one found in The Alpine Cookbook, which is more of a fantasy of escapism than technical cookery guide with its lush photographs providing a peak into the kitchens and restaurants of Europe's famed mountain towns.
I start with a cup of rolled oats and a tablespoon each of flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds, though any nut or seed will do.
I grate in a Golden Delicious apple and toss it with a tablespoon of sugar. To that I add a half a cup of whatever yogurt is languishing in my fridge. Greek, regular, fat-free, full-fat, doesn't matter.
A third cup of milk is called for, but I'm usually out, so I toss in a little half and half instead. Almond milk or other dairy substitutes would work fine.
In goes a sliced banana and few strawberries, sliced thin. I resist the urge to add more than three, which is more than enough.
After a good mix, the mush goes into four individual containers that I tuck into the fridge to mingle and soften overnight.
The next morning, I took one out and topped it with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of almonds, and more thick slices of fresh strawberry. You could add a drizzle of honey. Swap strawberry slices for pear or plumb or blackberry. The beauty of this recipe, to me, is the fact that you can adapt it to whatever you have on hand.
That's the way we need to approach all our cooking right now.
I'm lucky. The inconveniences to me at this time are minor compared to many who are facing health issues, financial issues, and other insecurities (we put together a list of community resources that can help). For those of us who are trying to continue to support local, and actually use the pantry staples filling our larders, all we have to do is keep a good attitude and practice ingenuity in the kitchen.
I'm out of tomatoes, so tonight's salad will be cucumber-based. I'm also making a pot of barley soup. I'm out of flour. I've committed to going to the market no more than once a week. It is my small way of reducing the strain of overcrowding and panic, rather than adding to it with unnecessary trips.
Tucked in the back of my pantry, I find some potato flour and rice flour from a Sichuan recipe I made a while back. A quick Google search let's me know that either would make a fine substitute in my roux, so long as I simmer the liquid I'm thickening with it and don't let it boil too long.
My challenge to you is this: Don't go to the farm stand with a set list in mind. See what is available and buy it. Whenever you're out shopping, don't think about what isn't available, look at what is. Is meat sold out? Check out the vegetarian proteins in the freezer section. At home, make a game out of finding substitutions or new combinations based on what you have on hand. You might just find our urge to anxiety shop reduced, and you might just love your new creations even more than the printed recipe you'd planned for.
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