If your looking for a filling snack, these bars are for you! Great for an afternoon snack or to keep you fuelled during a camping or hiking trip. To make them nut free, use a sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter and replace the almonds with pumpkin seeds, fruit or omit. The toasted quinoa is a nice addition and just adds a very slight crunch.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 medium sized ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- (or 1/2 cup total of your other favourite nuts/seeds)
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup dried currants
- (or 3/4 cup of other favourite dried fruit)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- (or 1/2 cup other additions)
- 1/4 cup almond butter (or other nut butter of choice)
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 serving of protein powder (vanilla or unflavoured) (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Place quinoa onto a single layer on the foil and bake for 10 mins to toast the quinoa. Line a 9×13 pyrex or baking pan with parchment paper or grease the pan to prevent sticking.
2. In a bowl, mash banana and add vanilla extract. Add hemp seeds, nuts, fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and stir. Fold in oats and protein powder and mix. Add almond butter and honey and stir well to combine. Lastly add quinoa once its done toasting.
3. Pour mixture into the pan or pyrex and press down with hands to help bars stay intact. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Allow to fully cool before cutting into 12 bars.
Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen.
Note: The pictures show a serving slightly bigger than the serving of 18 squares. If cut into bars, this will make a smaller number of servings but larger portions.
Nutrition for 18 servings: About 158 calories, 7g fat, 19g carb (9g sugar and 3g fibre), 5g protein
