Chia seed bircher with fresh fruit

I personally don't venture much away from eggs, veggies and meat for breakfast but this twist on the favourite bircher muesli thanks to Pete Evans is a great treat if I do.  Most recently I made this for breakfast on my sister's wedding day and it went down a treat - helping the bride and bridesmaid's stay full until the canapes came out! 

Instead of the traditional oats, this recipe calls for a mixture of omega-3 rich seeds,  Omega-3 is one of the two essential fatty acids which are crucial in your body - they play an especially important role in controlling inflammation.  

This is super easy to make, but it needs a bit of forethought as it requires soaking overnight.  Decorate with whatever fruit you fancy and depending on the season. 

Ingredients

Serves 4 (requires overnight soaking)

  • 80g chia seeds
  • 3 tablespoons of golden flax seeds
  • 3 tablespoons of shredded coconut
  • 250ml coconut yoghurt
  • 450ml almond milk (homemade if possible (see below) - if bought make sure it has no nasty ingredients)
  • 1 apple, grated (I prefer braeburn)
  • chopped almonds, fresh seasonal fruit and extra seeds for serving (e.g. flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds)
  • honey (optional)

Method

  1. Place the chia seeds, flax seeds, shredded coconut in a bowl with the grated apple, almond milk and coconut yoghurt. Whisk / stir to combine.
  2. Cover with cling milk and refrigerate overnight
  3. In the morning, remove from the fridge, and if required add some extra almond milk.  
  4. Spoon into individual bowls or a large serving bowl.  
  5. Top with coconut yoghurt, fresh fruit of your choice and seeds. 
  6. Drizzle honey over the top (optional).

Homemade almond milk

  • 250g of almonds (preferably organic) (if you like the milk more creamy, replace a quarter with macadamia nuts!)
  • 1500ml filtered water
  • optional: deseeded vanilla bean
  1. Soak the almonds in the filtered water for 8 hours
  2. Put the mixture in a high powered blender and blitz for 20-30 seconds
  3. Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth
  4. Transfer the milk into jars for storage in the fridge for up to 4 days
  5. Use the leftover nut meal in baking