Oats bring a pleasant chewiness and an old-fashioned goodness to these nutrient-dense bars. Pureed dates lend just enough sweetness to this convenient breakfast or snack. Nuts, ground flax, and dried fruits add antioxidants, vitamins, good fats, and flavor.
Martha Stewart Living, July 2008
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Ingredients
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1 cup (9 ounces) pitted dates
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Vegetable-oil cooking spray
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1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats, finely ground, or 1 cup quinoa flakes
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4 1/2 ounces (1 cup) pecans, toasted, 1/2 finely ground and 1/2 coarsely chopped
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2 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted macadamia nuts, toasted, 1/2 finely ground and 1/2 coarsely chopped
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2 1/4 ounces (1/3 cup) dried papaya, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
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1 3/4 ounces (1/3 cup) dried cherries, chopped
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2 ounces (1/3 cup) dried blueberries
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2 tablespoons oat bran
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3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
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2 tablespoons wheat germ
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1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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3 tablespoons brown-rice syrup or honey
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place dates in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer. Drain. Puree in a food processor until smooth.
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Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Mix oats or quinoa flakes, nuts, papaya, cherries, blueberries, bran, flaxseed, wheat germ, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix in date puree and brown-rice syrup or honey. Press mixture into pan.
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Bake until center is firm and edges are golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 8 bars.
Cook's Note
Protein-rich quinoa flakes, which have a nutty flavor, also work well in this recipe.
I agree with Dinnerfortwo. Inikolic, I'm sure you think you're so superior to us all because you're vegan, but you're not. You're just another self-righteous health snob who doesn't deserve to know how delicious honey is and how good it is for you! :-P MORE FOR US!
this is for 'inikolic' and her scolding remarks to martha...LIGHTEN UP HONEY! life is just too short to worry about your agrument about what is truly vegan and what's not...those veggies you eat are depriving 'wild animals' of their rightful habitat to graze on the flowers that the BEES pollinate! stop judging the world based on your views only...a proud foodie
Honey is NOT vegan! Come on Martha get it right :) Since you're such a perfectionist you really should remove honey from this recipe. As a vegan for over a decade I can tell you that honey has never been part of my diet nor should it be part of any other true vegan's diet.
I don't have the info on the flaxseed, but without it, here's the nutritional info:
Per Serving: 357 Calories; 17g Fat (41.1% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 50g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 121mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 2 Fruit; 3 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
I've made them before for my son, the recipe worked well and we liked them.
OOPS!!!! At the end of the video, Martha lines the pan with Saran wrap (??), and then says to bake it for 25 min. (??). Obviously a mistake, since you DON'T use plastic wrap in the oven. it would melt into the baked item, ha ha...OOPS!
Otherwise, wonderfully tasty bars...I highly recommend!
While 'honey' is still being debated you can't really say it is not vegan, that is a choice for the individual. That being said if you want to avoid honey you can use Agave syrup, maple syrup, golden syrup, or date syrup depending what taste you like.
I haven't made them yet so I hope they do not fall apart, you might need more honey/syrup or maybe chill them more.
I made these, and they taste really good, but they were really crumbly and fell apart when trying to cut them. Did anyone else have this problem?
This recipe is not vegan if honey is used. Why honey is not vegan: http://www.peta.org/issues/Animals-Used-for-Food/honey-from-factory-farmed-bees.aspx
Here is a conversion website that might be able to help you!
http://startcooking.com/blog/333/Measurement-and-Conversion-Charts
I also like to substitute up to half of the main flour/flour substitute ingredient for soy flour--it does make for a denser product in the end, but ups the protein!
Would it be possible to have a link to put the measurements in Kilos and Grammes? It would be very helpful!
why can't i copy
I always use buckwheat flour or rice flour to replace regular flours in gluten free baking ,as for the oats they must be pure uncontaminated.
I always appreciate nutritional analysis.
has anyone turned the ingredients into gluten free bars
For 12 servings of the above, (not 8 as th erecipe states) there are approximately 300 calories, with 12 grams of fat, 4 grams of protien, and 36 g of carbs.
There are websites such as the Dietician's of Canada website that allow you to analyze recipes. However, I agree with the other commenters that nutritional analysis would be helpful. Most websites now provide this.
The oats and other cereals can be finely ground in a food processor or blender. Nuts can also be ground in a food processor, but if you grind too fine you will end up with an oily paste. Other dried fruits could be substituted (I will use cranberries in place of cherries because I am allergic) keeping the same proportions. I think subbing whole soy flour would make this similar to Soyjoy bars.
How do you "finely grind" oats? I know how to pulverize the nuts, but I'm clueless how to prepare the oats. Would I use a mortar and pestle?
These look delicious, but it would be convenient if I knew nutritional values.
These look delicious, but it would be convenient if I knew nutritional values.
yes, please! I need to know how much sugar is in this. it sounds delicious!
I would also like the nutritional info on all recipes. Especially the healthy ones.
Make that three out of three. Would like nutritional info on all recipes
Make that three out of three. Would like nutritional info on all recipes
Ditto to hooterpetunia...would really appreciate nutritional info on all recipes. Thanks!
What are the nutritional and caloric numbers on this recipe, i.e., the fat, sodium, cholesterol, carbs, etc.?