Banana Toasted Muesli

Right now I’m in Malaysia, just catching up on my backlog of posts. If you want to read about my non-food related travels, check out my other blog.

I wake up hungry. It is breakfast, rather than the promise of the day to come that gets me out of bed in the morning. But I have a little issue with crankiness related to hunger, so I rarely eat breakfast out, and as a die-hard creature of habit I get hooked on a breakfast and find it difficult to shake. Growing up it was vita brits with banana and sultanas, or muesli for breakfast and afternoon tea, gladly I’ve moved on a little from there, but that empty growling in the my stomach forces me to eat something first thing, still.

Toasted muesli, bircher muesli and now Banana Toasted Muesli. I actually think that this latest addition to my breakfast repertoire might be my favourite. It is unusual, unbelievably healthy (for toasted muesli) and wonderfully clumpy. Though it smells like a a banana cake while it is baking, the banana just adds an ethereal sweetness to the finished product. As usual with this kind of a dish, add whatever dried fruit and nuts you’d like. I was in the midst of project ‘clear cupboards out’ when I made this, and added some excess cashews, sunflower seeds and sultanas that I had lying around. The cashews had a great texture when cooked, perhaps I should buy some more just to make this toasted muesli again.

Banana Toasted Muesli
Adapted from Pretty Darn Healthy Granola from The Amazing adventures of Diet Girl

5 cups rolled oats
4 small ripe bananas
1.5 cups water
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups sultanas

Preheat oven to 180C and line two baking trays with paper.
Blend banana with the honey, cinnamon, salt and water until smooth.
Mix all remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl and pour the liquidised banana mush over the top. Mix it really well then layer onto trays and bake, stirring occasionally, taking care not to let it burn, until brown, dried out and crisp. Cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Should last about a week (though it will likely disappear before then).