Quinoa, fruit & nut bars
Here’s something I used to make just about every week for that mid morning/afternoon snack. At one point I used protein powder in it for an extra boost but now I’ve altered my recipe yet again by omitting the powder as well as using quinoa flakes rather than rolled oats.
If you’re yet to try quinoa flakes and don’t know what they are, just think of them as regular quinoa grains that have been steamed, rolled flat and flaked. Much like rolled oats, only gluten free.
This recipe will give you a “muesli” bar that’s soft and crumbly, not crunchy, using fresh fruit juice to bind and is kept in the fridge. If you have a penchant for other varieties of dried fruits or nuts just go ahead and swap them around.
If you have a tub of yoghurt in the fridge, try crumbling one of the bars over a small serving of it. It’s another option for breakfast, or even dessert. Play around with it!
Craving more quinoa? Why not try my quinoa, berry & yoghurt porridge?
| Servings |
bars
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- 1 cup quinoa flakes
- 1 cup almonds whole
- ¼ cup dessicated coconut
- 100 g dried apple (1 slightly heaped cup)
- 200 g dried cranberries (1 cup)
- 200 g dried apricots (1 cup)
- ½ cup fruit juice
- ¼ cup Mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds (plus a little extra to garnish)
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 200°C. On a baking tray place the quinoa, almonds and coconut. Mix together using your hands and spread evenly over the tray. Bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly golden. Allow to cool.
- In a processor add the toasted quinoa mix, all of the dried fruits and seeds and blitz until finely chopped. While the motor is still running pour in the juice until it starts to come together.
- Line a 20 x 25cm dish with baking paper. Tumble in the mixture and press down evenly and firmly. Sprinkle over some extra sunflower and pumpkin seeds and press those down as well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before slicing.
What I do is slice up the completed slab of mixture after it has refrigerated overnight, and wrap each piece in plastic wrap. That way they're ready to take to work for snacks or put in the kids lunch boxes, rather than those manufactured muesli bars that are loaded with preservatives and excessive sugar.
