Breakfast with Dorset

I’ve seen Dorset Cereals in the grocery store but have never gotten around to trying them.  So I was super excited when they sent me 7 boxes to try out!  We are always looking for healthy options for breakfast and with 2 boys who get bored quickly, something new is always good.  I was sent 6 boxes of muesli and 1 box of Honey Granola.  We were not able to try the Honey Granola as it has vanilla extract which is alcohol based.

I was sent the following muesli flavours:

• Fruit, Nuts and Seeds Muesli (raisins, flame raisins, dates, sultanas, banana, pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
• Cranberry, Cherry and Almond Muesli (cranberries, cherries, almonds, raisins, sultanas, sunflower seeds and flame raisins)
• Simply Nutty Muesli (whole almonds, dates, Brazil nuts and sunflower seeds)
• Really Nutty Muesli (cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds, sultanas, dates and flame raisins)
• Simply Delicious Muesli (raisins, sultanas, sunflower seeds, dates, Brazil nuts and roasted hazelnuts)
• Super High Fibre Muesli (flame raisins, dates, sunflower seeds, toasted coconut and chopped roasted hazelnuts)

In our family we all love crunchy cereals.  The kids were not on board with the muesli.  For me it took a little while to come around to it.  Dorset Cereals have no added sugar or salt.  These are definitely for the health food enthusiast.  They are very high quality.  I have never seen such big pieces of dry fruit in any cereal before and I’ve also never seen this many!  They have lots of nuts and they are excellent quality.  Have you ever had a cereal with brazil nuts, whole hazelnuts or cashews?

I tried the muesli with cold milk and I also soaked it overnight in milk but I preferred it in the two recipes below.  I used the Simply Nutty Muesli to make some baked oatmeal.  It turned out really well.  My husband found it to be too sweet due to the dates in the muesli but I really liked it.  The muesli became nice and crispy on top.

1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or Halal vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

In a bowl, mix together Simply Nutty Muesli, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup, milk, egg, oil and vanilla bean paste/extract.

In your baking dish arrange the bananas in a single layer.  Sprinkle half the blueberries on top.  Give the oat mixture a stir and spread in an even layer on top of the fruit.  Give the egg mixture a quick whisk to make sure the vanilla bean paste hasn’t settled at the bottom.  Pour the egg mixture on top of the oats.  Sprinkle the remaining blueberries.  Bake for 35 minutes or until oatmeal is set.  Let cool 10 minutes and enjoy!

Muesli Bread
Adapted from Seven Spoons

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Super High Fibre Muesli
3/4 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (I used 2%)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup blueberries (can use up to 1 cup, I used fresh berries)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together whole wheat flour, Super High Fibre Muesli, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, canola oil and eggs.  Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, stirring until just combined.  Before adding the last batch of dry ingredients, toss the blueberries in the dry ingredients so they are all dusty,  Gently fold in this last batch.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clear.

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Linking up here.