Breakfast
Bircher Breakfast Smoothie
A robust start to any day. It is based on a classic breakfast bircher, whereby apples, oats and lemon juice are soaked overnight to produce a soft, cold porridge-like mix; blending allows you to skip the soak. The blueberries represent a likely topping, bringing some extra tartness to the mix, balanced by a sweet tot of maple syrup.
Cook's notes
You can replace some of the water with other liquids if you like. A handful of ice is great for giving a slushie feel. Half water and half apple juice or coconut water both work well, but increase the sweetness. Almond milk, oat milk or a dollop of yogurt would add extra creaminess.
Ingredients
- apples, 600g approx.
- 2 bananas
- 125g blueberries
- 40g oats
- 20g maple syrup
- 1 lemon
Method
-
Step 1
Remove and discard the apple cores; roughly chop the flesh, skin and all. Peel and chop the bananas.
-
Step 2
Pop the apples, bananas and blueberries into a blender with 700ml of cold water, the oats, maple syrup and the juice from half the lemon. Blitz until completely smooth. The smoothness may depend on the oomph of your blender. If you think yours may struggle, try soaking the oats in the water for 30 minutes and skinning the fruit and veg before blending, or pass through a sieve before serving.
-
Step 3
Check the consistency and add a dash more water if it seems too thick. Taste and add more lemon to your liking.
-
Step 4
The smoothie will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days; just give it a good shake to bring it back together. Depending on the volume of your blender, it may be easier to make it in batches as and when you need.