Saturday, November 6, 2010

Ooey Gooey Breakfast Bars

I just came up with this recipe this morning, due to an urgent facebook message from my cousin, Rubi, who needed a healthy breakfast bar packed with protein and void of flour!  Of course I was only too happy to oblige, being that, in my opinion, EVERYONE could use a delicious breakfast bar loaded with protein, without flour!  You'll be happy to know that this is a no-bake recipe that uses nothing but the amazing flavors of fruit, seeds, and nuts, thus making it so healthy for you, you won't know what to do with yourself!!  Oh, and just in case you were wondering, they taste SO amazing, that I actually ate 3 of them once they were finished (note to self...double the recipe!!)

You're definitely going to want a decent food processor for this recipe...not because it's the only way that you'll arrive at the correct result, but because I've tried using blenders and low-powered food processors for things like this, and it's SO frustrating!

1/2 c. sunflower seeds (vitamin E and protein, not to mention a perfect food!)
1/2 c. almonds (amazing source of protein and iron)
1/2 c. walnuts (obviously protein, but loaded with antioxidants too!)
1/2 c. pumpkin seeds (mineral rich, omega-3 fats, protein and iron!)
3 T. hemp seeds (perfect protein, omegas-3&6, iron, and minerals...superfood!)

-Throw all these in your food processor, and grind until they form a "wet powder".  (it won't be fine like flour, but that's ok).
-Note: I only listed a FEW of the major benefits of each of these nuts/seeds...can you see why I used them specifically?!

Add:

1/4 c. water
1 c. pitted dates (you may want to add these 1 at a time...I didn't, but if you doubt your food processor's abilities, this would ensure good results!)
1/2 c. coconut (raw, shredded)  (great source of lauric acid...very important!)
1/4 c. ground flax seed (cancer fighter, balanced omegas 3 & 6, high dietary fiber, DHA...and the list goes on and on!)
3 T. cacao nibs, ground in a coffee grinder until powdered (this is an AMAZING antioxidant boost, not to mention high in dietary fiber and magnesium)
1/8 t. good sea salt (this is optional, but it does bring out the flavors in an amazing way...PLUS if you get a mineral-rich sea salt, you'll get the added bonus of minerals too!)

-Grind the rest of these awesome ingredients up, and all you have left to do it press them into a pan!  I used a bread pan in order to achieve a nice, thick bar, but use whatever you have...OR roll them into a ball!

-The chewiness of the dates keeps these bars soft and sweet, the nuts/seeds lend the substance and the protein, the combination...INCREDIBLE!

-This recipe made 10 bars, so you just may want to double it!

-Important Note:  I always use raw, unsalted nuts and seeds unless otherwise specified.  You'll obtain the full benefit of them, without the nutrients being destroyed by heat and then masked by salt.

2 comments:

  1. Perfection! i can't wait to try it :) Thanks Cuz, Love you!!

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  2. Hope you love it as much as I did!! Love you!!

    ReplyDelete