I love these conversations because I get excited and motivated to try new things and report back on the success (or failure) of these under takings. Whether is it adding Coconut Milk and Cinnamon to my Chocolate Recovery Drink or last night’s croc-pot creation - I learn about something new and delicious. Last week, the topic was homemade energy bars – and I plan to try out a few different recipes in the weeks to come.
This time-around, I modified the widely acclaimed Gourmet Christian Vande Veldes Energy Bar – and came up with a delicious “real-food” bar that Ben describes as “sweet but substantial, real food with a unique flavor”.
Here’s the recipe:
4 cups puffed rice cereal
1 cup dried blueberries
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ chopped almonds
¼ chopped cashews
¼ shelled hemp seeds
½ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine puffed rice, blueberries, seeds and nuts.
In a medium sauce pan, combine tahini, brown sugar, and honey and warm over low/medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Do this slowly; you don’t want the mixture to burn. Stir in vanilla.
Pour warm mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until coated. Transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13 inch-baking dish. Press down firmly, like when you’re making rice krispy treats. Cool for one hour.
Cut into 12-16 bars, and wrap individual bars in plastic wrap for safe keeping.
Feeling a little crazy - how about adding a little peanut butter?