Rhubarb and home-made breakfast muesli

The last time I looked the rhubarb was nothing but an emerging crown with one or two bright green leaves beginning to unfurl. With the rains and warm weather it has had a growth spurt and is now ready for harvesting over the next couple of weeks. This particular variety is Victoria. We also have a later one which is only just beginning to emerge and show its first leaves of the season.

The rhubarb is cut, washed and chopped, put into a pan with a small amount of brown cane sugar or honey, gently simmered until the pieces begin to soften and break down. No water is necessary as it produces enough from its own juices.

The leaves have been put under the gooseberry bushes, an idea we heard about which is supposed to deter gooseberry saw fly. It makes sense as we sometimes use rhubarb leaves as an insecticide (see here for previous post).

In a conscious effort to eat less wheat and dairy I am trying to find alternatives to toast and butter for breakfast. I heard about home-made breakfast muesli from our friends Cal and Rob and I must say it is delicious. This is my take on it:

Crushed oats (I really like the quality of Flahavans Irish Organic Oats)
Almond or rice milk
Fruit (in season)
dried fruits, nuts and seeds to taste.

This mix had dried apricots and cranberry, pumpkin seed and linseed, hazelnuts, oats, and rice milk. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and stir until you get a loose mixture - pop it into the fridge overnight and stir once or twice during that period. The milk will be absorbed by the oats so you may have to add a touch more for the right consistency.

In the morning, no need to cook just add a tablespoon of rhubarb or other seasonal fruit and if you are feeling indulgent add a dollop of Greek yogurt and stir. I generally make a large bowl full which keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days (if it lasts that long).

It really tastes rich especially with the almond or rice milk which has a natural sweetness but none of the lactose. With the dried fruits and rhubarb, there is no need to add additional sugar. Delicious and satisfying as a start to a busy day.