Matcha, apple and strawberry muesli

I love making muesli for breakfast to eat with yoghurt and fruit.  (Yes, I know it is generally called granola when it is toasted these days but it is hard to break a lifetime's habit!)  Sylvia loves snacking on cereals in the afternoon and evening.  She doesn't like as many nuts and seeds as I like in mine but she was keen on trying a matcha muesli.

I have now made three batches of museli.  Each has been different.  I love using lots of different seeds, grains, nuts and dried fruit.  I talked to Sylvia about what she liked because she has particular preferences.  Even when we agreed there have been some small changes.  

• Batch 1 had home made apple sauce, Batch 2 had shop bought apple sauce and Batch 3 had tahini instead of apple sauce because it was the easiest option when the apple sauce ran out.  
• Batch 1 and 3 had quinoa flakes which are like rolled oats.  Batch 2 had millet flakes which were more like corn flakes.  We loved them but could only get them in the health food store.
• Batch 1 and 2 had dried strawberry and dried apple but Batch 3 had dried peaches and cranberries.
• Batch 1 had a spiced drinking matcha we bought in London.  I loved the aroma of vanilla, ginger and cinnamon.  Batch 2 had a mixture of the spiced matcha and one that we bought in the health food store.
• Batch 1 and Batch 2 were lovely.  Batch 3 was baked at a higher heat than the recipe says (my bad for not checking) so it is nice but a little charred.
  
  

The health store matcha was a brighter green than the London matcha.  This photo is of our cat inspecting the muesli before I stirred in the wet ingredients.  Always good to get the cat's seal of approval!

In the above collage, the top left photo is Batch 1 before baking, and the top right is after it baked.  The bottom left is Batch 2 before baking and the bottom right is Batch 2 after baking.  You can see that Batch 2 was greener but it still was the not the bright green I was seeking.  I still liked that it was noticeably different than my usual muesli.

I enjoyed serving different fruits with the muesli and yoghurt.  Over winter when there were less fruit about I have had blueberries in the freezer for when I don't have any fresh fruit.  I am doing well that I haven't used them much lately.  These are all Batch 2 (except photo c.  From top left clockwise: (a) pear, (b) strawberries, (c) apple and passionfruit, (d) kiwi fruit and strawberries.

Sylvia enjoys having matcha drinks at cafes.  Matcha latte, iced matcha, matcha lemonade ete etc.  So she appreciate the flavour far more than I do and was pleased with the flavour in the muesli.  In fact, she told me that the muesli was not going to last long.  I was pleased with the compliment.

More toasted muesli recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe
Applesauce muesli (granola) (v)
Banana and maca muesli (granola) (v)
Chocolate muesli (granola) (v)
Fruit mince muesli (v)
Microwave muesli (v)
Tahini, quinoa and apricot toasted muesli (v)

Matcha, apple and strawberry muesli (granola)
Adapted from Green Gourmet Giraffe

4 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup millet flakes 
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup linseeds (flaxseeds)
1 tbsp poppy seeds
2 1/2 tbsp matcha powder
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup rice bran oil (or other neutral oil)

1/2 cup dried strawberries
1/2 cup dried apples

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Lightly whisk together maple syrup, applesauce and oil in a large jug until smooth and thickened like caramel.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until well mixed.  Tip into two large lined roasting tins.  Bake at 180 for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through.  While muesli cooks, chop dried fruit.  Once muesli has toasted with just a touch of golden brown around the edges, add dried fruit and mix well.  Leave to cool.  Store in an airtight container.

On the Stereo:
Merry-Go-Round: Studio Ghibli Music: Joe Hisaishi