Recipe: Puffed Quinoa Bars

[mergatrude]

One of my favourite snacks is muesli/granola bars, but my favourite brand of GF bars is a little expensive so I thought I'd try my hand at making something myself. After a bit of trial and error, I've come up with my own recipe that's both repeatable and adaptable.

m's snack bars

1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup honey
2 cups puffed quinoa
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas
1/4 cup flaxseeds, ground
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Heat the almond butter and honey in a large, microwave safe bowl for 30-40 seconds. Stir well to combine until the mixture is smooth. Add the other ingredients to the bowl and gently fold them through the honey/almond mixture. If the mixture seems a little dry, add more honey! Press the mixture evenly into a lined baking tin (I use a 27x18 cm slice tin), making sure the top is as smooth as you can make it. Bake in a slow oven (150C or thereabouts - my oven is fan-forced and runs a little hot) for 10-15 minutes. The longer you bake it for the crunchier it gets. Allow to cool, then place the tin in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to chill completely. Cut into bars (my tin gives me 12 bars) and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.



Variations:

• You can use any nut butter


• I have not tried it with an alternative sweetener as the honey works like glue


• I have made this with rolled oats. You could also try rolled rice flakes, puffed rice, quinoa flakes, etc


• Other options I've used are dark chocolate chips, diced dried pineapple, diced dried paw-paw, chopped macadamia nuts, goji berries, the possibilities are endless

If you prefer more chocolate in your snacks, I highly recommend these Coconut Almond Power Bars, which are also quite adaptable.

I'm happy to chat about ingredients, method, etc. For example, I listed rolled oats above because I buy Red Tractor brand Wheat-Free Oats. Pepitas are a variety of pumpkin seeds. All measurements are metric, but precision is not critical.

Comments

[runpunkrun]

Where do you get your puffed quinoa?

[mergatrude]

My regular health food store stocks a couple of brands: Lotus and Good Morning Cereal, but they might only be available in Australia and New Zealand.

There are a number of different ways to make your own, either in the oven or in a pan like puffed rice or popcorn, but I haven't tried these because I get distracted easily and everything will burn.

[runpunkrun]

Thanks for the links! It does look like those products are AU/NZ only, but it's good to see someone's making them. I haven't had much luck in my local stores, but it's definitely something I'd prefer to buy as you can only pop those guys in small batches and I don't have the attention span or the stamina.

[mergatrude]

I don't have the attention span or the stamina

I feel you. If it's not weird I'd be happy to mail you a bag. I find they make 3-4 batches of bars, and you can just stir them through melted chocolate and freeze it (either in spoonfuls or in a tray) for a quick pick-me-up snack. You can email me at mergatrude at gmail if you like.

[runpunkrun]

That is such a kind offer! I think I'll look into my online options first, though, as I live in the US and that is so far for puffed quinoa to travel. But you've got me excited about puffed quinoa stirred into chocolate!

Also, one of the retailers included this recipe for Crispy Quinoa and Peanut Butter Snack Bars:

3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup peanut butter
6 cups Puffed Quinoa

Grease a 9x13-inch pan and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt peanut butter and honey over medium-low heat. Turn off heat and mix in Puffed Quinoa. Stir with a silicone spatula until evenly combined. Press cereal mixture into prepared pan and refrigerate for 40 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy. Store in a cool, dry place.

Very sweet, probably, but could make a nice dessert.

[mergatrude]

That does sound sweet! I'm a big convert to puffed quinoa as it's so adaptable. I hope you find some.