quinoa snack bars
I’ve come to realize that I initially created this blog to share my favorite recipes with friends, but in the end I think I actually created this blog for me, because I’ve come to rely on it so much for easy, healthy and tasty weeknight meals. I’ve been digging into my old archives and finding recipes that I had forgotten about, but totally love! You’ve all been super supportive lately with my limited posting, and I’m receiving so many emails from those of you that have gone back into my recipe archives and made something and loved it! I know lately I’ve pretty much been just posting quinoa and uber healthy recipes, but for those of you that are looking for some tasty family friendly savory recipes, I have some recipes in the work. I’m looking to make up an easy skillet rosemary chicken dish this week and plan on serving it up with some sweet potato wedges with a lime yogurt dip. So, I do have some new recipe ideas folks, but I just need the time to cook and photograph the recipes (with some natural light at night please, daylight savings can you any come faster). Ok, enough about me, lets move onto these bars.
Ok, I admit these are not the prettiest bars I’ve ever photographed, but they sure are tasty and pretty healthy to boot. They’re filled with the goodness of quinoa, quinoa flour, chia seeds, goji berries, local raw honey and so much more. You can even make these gulten-free by using gluten-free oats. These bars are my newest snack addiction and I’ve been making them up each Sunday, along with my weekly batch of quinoa, to have as a healthy afternoon snack while at work. Honestly, if I didn’t bring these bars to work, I would be snacking on something naughty from the bakery, and I can’t be doing that everyday. I’ve been on a white sugar/no dessert cleanse since Thanksgiving, (well, I actually caved on my cleanse and had a chocolate chip cookie on Friday, shhhh) and these bars have actually curb my craving for sweets. Believe it or not, these bars are also kid friendly. Eli loves them, and one of Zoe’s girlfriends makes these up all the time, and they’re her new favorite snack. I’m not saying that all kids are going to devour these bars, but they just might give them a try…
quinoa snack bars:
recipe adapted from The Lean Green Bean
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 extra-large or large egg – I always use extra large eggs
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter – I love MaraNatha organic peanut butter
- 1/4 cup local raw honey or maple syrup - I’ve used both honey and maple syrup and both taste great
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour, chickpea flour, almond flour or whole wheat flour – I used quinoa flour, as I purchased some on sale
- 1 cup cooked quinoa – you can use fresh or leftover quinoa
- 1 cup rolled oats – you can use gluten-free oats to keep these bars gluten-free
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds or pecans, chopped - I used raw almonds and toasted them
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 cup goji berries or dried cranberries, dried cherries, rasins, dried blueberries
First things first! Now if you have roasted almonds and leftover quinoa, then you can bypass the next two steps. If you don’t have any leftover quinoa then you will have to cook some up. Bring 1 cup well rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Once the quinoa has come to a boil, give it a stir, cover it, and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the quinoa until all the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Note: Please check your package of quinoa for cooking instructions, as they all vary.
The quinoa is done when its tender and you can see the little quinoa curlicues. Let the quinoa cool a bit.
Next, if you don’t have roasted almonds on hand, you can toast up some raw almonds. I typically only have raw almonds in the house, so I always just toast some up when needed for a recipe. Just take 1/2 cup raw whole almonds and add them to a dry skillet set over medium heat, and swirl them around in the pan for a few minutes until they become golden brown in color.
Measure out the 1/3 cup applesauce, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup honey.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 extra-large or large egg - I always use extra large eggs
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter - I love MaraNatha organic peanut butter
- 1/4 cup local raw honey or maple syrup - I've used both honey and maple syrup and both taste great
- 1/2 cup quinoa flour, chickpea flour, almond flour or whole wheat flour - I used quinoa flour, as I purchased some on sale
- 1 cup cooked quinoa - you can use fresh or leftover quinoa
- 1 cup rolled oats - you can use gluten-free oats to keep these bars gluten-free
- 1/2 cup roasted almonds or pecans, chopped - I used raw almonds and toasted them
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 cup goji berries or dried cranberries, dried cherries, rasins, dried blueberries
Instructions
First things first! Now if you have roasted almonds and leftover quinoa, then you can bypass the next two steps. I
f you don't have any leftover quinoa then you will have to cook some up. Bring 1 cup well rinsed quinoa and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Once the quinoa has come to a boil, give it a stir, cover it, and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook the quinoa until all the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Note: Please check your package of quinoa for cooking instructions, as they all vary.
The quinoa is done when its tender and you can see the little quinoa curlicues. Let the quinoa cool a bit. Note: You will have leftover quinoa, but you can use it for so many dishes throughout the week.
Next, if you don't have roasted almonds on hand, you can toast up some raw almonds. I typically only have raw almonds in the house, so I always just toast some up when needed for a recipe. Just take 1/2 cup raw whole almonds and add them to a dry skillet set over medium heat, and swirl them around in the pan for a few minutes until they become golden brown in color.
Roughly chop the almonds into small pieces.
Grease a 8x8 pan and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Measure out the 1/3 cup applesauce, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/3 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup honey.
Combine the applesauce, vanilla, egg, peanut butter and the honey in a medium-sized bowl, and whisk together well.
Add to the peanut butter mixture, the 1/2 cup quinoa flour, 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup oats, chopped nuts, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon chia seeds and the 1/2 cup goji berries, and using a spatula combine until mixed together.
Spoon the mixture into the greased 8×8 pan using a spatula to smooth out the top.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown.
Let the bars cool a bit, and dig in. You can either cut up the bars and individually wrap them for on-the-go convenience, or cover the bars and cut up as needed.
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