Toasted Oat and Quinoa Bars
Granola bars made with quinoa, oats, cashews and dried cranberries.
Servings 12
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tri-color quinoa
- ⅓ cup oats quick cooking or old fashioned (not instant)
- ¼ cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- ⅓ cup finely chopped roasted nuts cashews or a mixture of cashews and almonds
- 2 or 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon of vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 inch metal pan with nonstick foil. Alternatively you can use regular foil and grease it or you can use parchment. Set aside.
- Rinse the quinoa using your favorite method. I like to put it in a bowl, cover it with water, dump it all into a sieve, then rinse some more.
- Drain the quinoa and spread it on a foil lined baking sheet. Add the oatmeal to the baking sheet and bake the two together for 5 minutes. Add the coconut and nuts to the baking sheet and continue to toast for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- In a saucepan, combine the coconut oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, honey and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the hot peanut butter mixture over the oats and add the vanilla and salt. Stir until well blended, then press tightly into the pan.
- Bake for 18 minutes.
- Let cool to room temperature, then chill for several hours. Lift from pan and cut into slices.
Notes
This recipe was designed for a large, 9x5 inch loaf pan -- preferably one that doesn't slant outwards too much, as you want a pretty flat and wide bottom to press the bars into.
For a 9 inch square pan, double the recipe.
For a 9x13 inch pan, triple the recipe.