I’m the type of the person that quite often needs a pick me up snack in the middle of the afternoon, but really dislike all the process snacks available in shops because of the preservatives, sugars and nasty things they contain despite the healthy claims written on their packaging, I really much rather make my own snacks, this way I know what they have and only use ingredients that I really like.
Another problem that I find in processed snacks is the lack of good quality gluten free and wheat free bars, and the ones I’ve found either contain soya or for some reason don’t quite agree with my body, hence my quest in finding a good recipe that could be easily made and flexible enough that I could choose whatever ingredients I want to use.
So here it is my super easy Healthy Quinoa Bar Recipe
PRINT THE RECIPE
- 1 cup of peanut butter
- ¾ Cup honey agave or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 Cup raw quinoa
- 2 Cup rolled oats or rice puffs
- ½ Cup of walnuts
- ¾ Cup green pumpkin seeds
- 1 Cup dried fruit of your choice
- ¼ Cup of flaked almonds
- ¼ Cup of pecans
- ¼ Cup flax or linseeds
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In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter, honey, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla and stir well.
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Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well so all the nuts are well covered in the liquid mix.
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Cover a baking tin (I used a 20x20cm square cake tin) with parchment paper greasing it over a little bit with oil.
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Pour the mix into the tin and spread evenly, pressing down the mixture so everything is well compressed and solid. You might find pressing down with a metal spoon easier. It is very important that the mix is well solid to form the bars later on.
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Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the paper lightly. Pour the granola bar mixture onto the greased paper and press evenly across the pan. Using the back of a large metal spoon may help. Really press and pack the mix into the corners of the pan and
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Bake the mix in a preheated oven at 180 degrees fro around 20-25 minutes until the edges and underside are quite brown.You can check the underside by lifting the mix slightly.
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Once the mix is cooked remove from the oven and leave to cool down in the pan. Note that when the mix is out of the oven it will be soft, if it is not allowed to cool down completely the mix could crumble.
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Remove the mix from the tin once it has cool down completely and with a sharp knife cut the bars to the desired size.
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The bars can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen individually wrapped for up to 1 month.
If you are intolerant to oats even the gluten and wheat free ones you can leave them out or substitute with gluten and wheat free rice puffs. I would suggest though using the unsweetened rice puffs.
Keeping and Storing Suggestions
These bars can easily be kept in the fridge for up to a week or well wrapped in cling film and frozen for up to a month.
I also vacuum seal them individually and keep them either in the fridge or cupboard for up to a month. By vacuum sealing them you’ll have a fresh bar every time, this is my preferred method of keeping and storing them.
If you would like to vacuum seal your bars this is the vacuum seal machine I use. I got it from Amazon and you can also get the pouches and rolls from there. This is a very useful gadget to have at home because almost every food can be vacuum sealed.
Nutritional Facts
To say these bars are not super healthy would be an immense understatement. Quinoa specially is an ingredient super high in protein and low in fat, plus is completely vegan.
Walnuts
have Cancer-Fighting Properties, contribute to a healthy heart, have rare and powerful antioxidants, contribute to a brain health and diabetes.
Almonds
are loaded with antioxidants, are full of Vitamin E which protect cell membranes from damage, assist with blood sugar control, helps in controlling blood pressure, can lower cholesterol, prevents harmful oxidation of LDL cholesterol, reduce hunger lowering overall calorie intake
Pecans
help in cardiovascular health, digestive health, reduces the risk of breast cancer, bone and teeth health, anti-inflammatory benefits, reduces the risk of stroke, anti-cancer properties, strengthens the immune system, prevents skin problems, anti-ageing properties, help to maintain a clear complexion.
Oats
increase appetite-control hormones, improves immune system, cuts the use of laxatives, may help t reduce type 2 diabetes, lower bad cholesterol, helps to control high blood pressure
Honey
helps healing wounds and burns, good for allergy suffers, fight infections, antioxidant properties, all natural energy drink, boosts memory, sleep aid.
Linseed
high in soluble fibre, omega 3 fatty acids, help in cancer protection, lower cholesterol, prevent hot flashes
