Gluten Free Showcase: An energy bar you can really get behind

I was sent this recipe by a high school friend who, through the magic of Facebook, I was able to reconnect with a while back. At our high school reunion, I learned she’d gone vegan around the same time I discovered Gluten Free living & boy did we have plenty to talk about! 

Stop rolling your eyes & watch Food, Inc. and you’ll understand why we are a little whack-jobbed about our nutrition! 

Since you know I can’t stand packaged “granola” or “energy” bars with exception to Larabars, which are the most wonderful snack food on this planet….I was so excited to get this recipe & find that it actually worked & turned out a fantastic little bar! And sidebar – my house smelled A-MA-ZING while these were baking. I literally sat down on the couch to take about 5 mins worth of deep breaths simply because doing anything else while breathing in that smell was a waste of the heavenly scents wafting from my stove. 

This recipe came to me in “vegan” format, which my friend tells me works wonderfully. I made a ‘non-vegan’ format this weekend…BOTH formats are Gluten Free! Hooray! This bar would make a great breakfast item when paired with an egg or a string cheese or, if you’re as needing of calories as my athlete man, a giant tub of Greek yogurt with this bar & you’ll be set to go!

 

So-Good Energy Bars 

*I highly recommend organic ingredients as they will eliminate any pesticide or chemical load found in non-organic items

9 x 13 baking dish

1/2 cup butter (or vegan butter) 

1/2 cup honey

2 1/4 cups Certified Gluten Free steel cut oats, uncooked 

1 cup shredded coconut 

1 tsp baking powder, without aluminum (found at health food stores) 

3 Tbsp chia seeds OR sesame seeds (both found at health food stores) 

1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped 

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped OR 1/2 cup dried Calimyrna figs for an alternative flavor

1/2 cup dried blackberries OR cherries OR raspberries OR blueberries

1 banana, smashed well against side of bowl 

2 eggs (or 2 vegan egg replacers) 

Steps: 

- Preheat the oven to 350 F. 

- Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Edges will brown & color throughout top will darken when cooked completely. Bars will also harden a bit, but will remain slightly soft. 

-Let cool (best if put in the fridge for an hour or more before cutting) remove from the pan, and cut into rectangular bars. 

*Storage tip: Once cut into bars, wrap in plastic wrap snugly & store in the fridge to firm up further. 

Nutritional Info for Bars (non-vegan version): **NOT exact measurement, only best guess! 

If cut into 12 bars - 268 calories, 14 g fat, 43 g carbs, 5.7 g fiber, 4.2 g protein 

If cut into 14 bars – 228 calories, 12 g fat, 37 g carbs, 4.9 g fiber, 3.6 g protein 

*This recipe has been modified after researching the nutritional breakdown & damage that agave nectar can do. I highly recommend replacing the agave nectar with honey in this recipe.