Paleo Power Bar Brownies

Well it's been almost a full year since my last blog post...sorry about that...I guess having 3 children, and homeschooling makes you a little busy!  Now, a lot of you might be wondering what the deal is with the "Paleo" part of the title...did she give up veganism, and go completely the other way?!  Worry not, I didn't...however, there are a lot of things I see about this way of eating that can be beneficial, such as eliminating grains and just getting back to the basics with eating.  My dearest cousins are hardcore Paleo people, and after chatting with them, we've found that although our diets are about as opposite as you can get...there are somethings that we can both enjoy!  This bar was designed as an energy bar, because I needed a boost before working out, however, after tasting them, I decided that they could also double as a delicious dessert with a little warming up (and teensy drizzle of caramel!)  No baking required, and loaded with protein, you can definitely forgive yourself for grabbing that second one! (or third)

You'll definitely need a large food processor!

Throw all these ingredients in the food processor:

1 c. powdered hemp seeds
1 c. raw almonds
1 c. raw shredded coconut
1 c. raw walnuts
3 c. banana chips (unsweetened)

Pulse until all ingredients resemble a mealy flour.

Add:

1/2 c. chia seeds
1/4 t. sea salt
1/4 c. cocoa
2 T. coconut oil

Again, pulse to combine.

With food processor running, drizzle in roughly 10 T. agave (I didn't really measure...and I made these purposely not super sweet because I anticipated drizzling caramel over them later!)...If you want them a little on the sweeter side, feel free to add more after you taste the "batter".

Now drop in 10 pitted Medjool Dates, with processor still running.

Add 2 heaping T. of Almond Butter

You may have to scrape the sides a few times to keep things moving.  You're going to end up with a heavy, wet batter that will give your food processor a run for the money!

Taste you batter...do you like it?  I was going for "like" and not "love" because I want to eat them within reason...you know, like one small portion a day, not 1 8x8 pan per day!  But I'll leave the rest up to you...want them sweeter?  Add more agave or dates...want them more chocolatey...add more cocoa powder, or cacao powder (I wish I had some cacao in my pantry...would've been better in my opinion!

Once you have the flavor where you want it, press them into an 8x8 pan for really thick brownies, or a 9x13 for thin ones.

Crush up 1 more cup of banana chips (I used a rolling pin), and press those into the top of your brownies...this adds a really nice texture, and also makes them look appealing!  If I had to do it over, I'd probably sprinkle the top with a little sea salt too, just to make the flavor pop a tad more!

There you have it!  Nice, healthy bars designed to give you long lasting energy, a great protein boost, and a helping of your healthy fats.  If you feel the desire to turn these into dessert, here's the caramel recipe I used...it's not my own recipe, but she makes some pretty incredible things!  Also, warming them up gives them more of a brownie feel...yum!!

Caramel:*

3/4 Cup Butter/ Earth Balance/  or Coconut Oil. 

1 1/4 Cup ” Brown Sugar”  (note: this can be Sucanat or Palm Sugar)

1/4 Cup Liquid Sweetener (Agave, Coconut Nectar, Brown Rice Syrup)

6 oz (half a can) of heavy Coconut Milk (or MimicCream )

1/2 Tsp Salt.

 

 Combine all of the Caramel ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil. Using a candy thermometer keep track of the temperature. Remove the caramel from heat once it reaches 248 degrees.

*Caramel recipe taken from: http://realsustenance.com/gluten-free-samoa-cookies-graineggcornsoydairyrefined-sugar-free/