Honey Quinoa Bars


(Honey Quinoa Bars)

Floods and heat waves aside, the year has started pretty well for me personally. In fact there’s almost nothing to complain about unless I need to vent over lacking any material that requires a grumble or two to be lodged on this blog.

I’m loving my new job and have been able to spend marginally more time with the bf. Plus one of my closest friends recently moved across the road and my brother is on the brink of tying the knot with his long-term girlfriend, hence a big family reunion is in the works. In terms of social math, this equates to feeble forays into reviving a near-extinct social life.

So unless butter and egg supplies dwindle, and my physiotherapist moves to New Zealand (oh wait, she did), it appears as though I have nothing to write about!

I’ve been experiencing a health food store kick recently. Mind you, it’s not quite the same thing as being on a health kick, because that would probably mean having to eschew these lovely sweet and chewy bars. A recent visit yielded some interesting ingredients including puffed quinoa and amaranth, black tahini and coconut butter which I used in a Babycakes NYC recipe (more on that in a future post). The puffed quinoa went into some honey bars that we enjoyed as breakfast and midnight snacks for the rest of the week..

The honey quinoa bars started life as..

Honey Hemp Bars :
(from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich)

24g puffed rice or millet cereal [I used puffed quinoa]
66g hemp seeds
53g pecan or walnut halves, medium-finely chopped
2 tablespoons black (or white or tan) sesame seeds
47g raw pumpkin seeds [I used sunflower seeds]
2 teaspoons flax meal (ground flaxseed)
2 tablespoons dried currants [I used wolfberries/goji berries]
140g honey
1 tablespoon date paste or mashed dates
rounded 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 150’C.

In a large bowl, toss the cereal, hemp seeds, nuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax meal, and currants to mix.

In a small saucepan, warm the honey, date paste, salt, and vanilla, stirring and mashing until the date paste is dissolved and/or evenly dispersed. Pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients and fold until all of the ingredients are moistened and sticky. It may seem at first that there is not enough honey, just continue to fold.

Scrape the mixture into an 8 inch square pan (greased and lined with baking paper) and spread it evenly with a fork. Using the back of the fork tines, press the mixture very firmly all over to compact and adhere the ingredients.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is barely golden (if in doubt, take it out so that the honey does not get scorched). Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the ends of the baking paper to remove the bars from the pan. Gently peel off the paper. Use a heavy sharp knife to cut bars or squares. May be kept in an airtight container for 2 weeks or more.

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25 Comments »

  1. Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 12:46 pm

    Oh these look really fun, Y! With all the nuts, seeds, fruits, and grains in this, it must be bursting with flavor and texture! Congrats on your brother’s coming marriage and I’m so glad to hear about all the good things going on with you :).

  2. Hannah said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 3:43 pm

    These bars look and sound amazing, and a tad bit healthier than the quinoa porridge I made for breakfast this morning. Yes, “quinoa porridge” sounds good for you, but I added 1/3 cup of milo. I don’t think that did wonders for my arteries 😉

  3. Siobhan said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 5:34 pm

    OK I am trying these bars. Thank you.

  4. Reemski said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 5:53 pm

    Oh no! I heard the physio left, but never fear as there are a couple of excellent practitioners left in the practice 😉

    So glad to hear that things are good and the new employment is working out. I must come and visit soon!

  5. Rosa said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 6:55 pm

    Very healthy and delicious looking! Beautiful bars.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  6. mademoiselle délicieuse said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 8:20 pm

    But you know you want to play with hemp…!

  7. shaz said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 10:39 pm

    Glad to hear it’s all going so well Y 🙂 Yay, another potential lunchbox treat. Gotta get that book.

  8. Shirley@kokken69 said,

    February 8, 2011 @ 11:50 pm

    Glad that the year is starting well for you! I have only had quinoa once, served with fish… Your quinoa bars look really healthy, I can almost feel the crunch looking at your photos!

  9. Laura said,

    February 9, 2011 @ 1:20 am

    Glad your life is good.

    These seems so healthy, and gluten-free! Have to try them as I am not totally happy with my recipe of bars.

  10. Helen (grabyourfork) said,

    February 9, 2011 @ 1:46 pm

    I haven’t seen puffed quinoa before but they sound rather intriguing. And lol, I always use the word health kick – I take it to mean good intentions without fear of failure. Heh.

  11. Lucie said,

    February 9, 2011 @ 7:40 pm

    These bars sound quite addictive! Not to mention totally delicious 🙂

  12. grace said,

    February 10, 2011 @ 9:21 am

    i haven’t seen puffed quinoa–nice find, and excellent use for it!

  13. penny aka jeroxie said,

    February 10, 2011 @ 4:21 pm

    I walked past a health food store just last week and saw puffed quinoa…. was wondering what I could do with it.

  14. InTolerantChef said,

    February 11, 2011 @ 7:45 am

    These sound so yummy, and they’re gluten and dairy free too! Definately have to give these a try. I’m glad the year is off to such a promising start for you as well- hope it stays that way.

  15. erin said,

    February 11, 2011 @ 10:25 am

    Hey, Y!
    These bars look healthy AND delicious! I’m so glad to hear that things are going well and that you love your new job! A good job is hard to find! I’m looking forward to the Babycakes post!

  16. Christie @ Fig & Cherry said,

    February 11, 2011 @ 5:49 pm

    These look really yummy! I just got some Quinoa flakes from the health food shop and looking forward to experimenting with them.

  17. Simon @ the heart of food said,

    February 12, 2011 @ 12:41 am

    The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the quinoa bars was those seed bells used to feed pet birds 🙂

    Are hemp seeds easy to find?

  18. Forager @ The Gourmet Forager said,

    February 12, 2011 @ 1:47 am

    haha – I’m with Simon. That’s what I first thought then remembered the stupid special diet grain slices I made to feed my mice.. But, I get the health kick – I had a small nibble of delicious garlic flaxseed slices in NZ and have been on the hunt ever since.

  19. Julia @ Mélanger said,

    February 12, 2011 @ 3:09 pm

    So glad it’s all going well for you. I love it when the year starts well. Have I ever said that you always seem to select some of the most interesting baked goodies to post about? Always something different here. Will have to search out some of these ingredients when I get the chance and try these. Sound delicious – and healthy! (Something I need to consider right now as I *try* and shift post-baby weight )

  20. Sophie said,

    February 18, 2011 @ 4:08 am

    These bars are also gluten free so that i can thouroughly enjoy them!!

    MMMMMMMMMMMMM,…!

  21. jas said,

    February 19, 2011 @ 7:57 pm

    ooo yum + gluten free! My man also arrives home with laundry, but he does put the seat down and feeds me when I’m weak from hunger 🙂

  22. hampers said,

    May 15, 2011 @ 1:14 am

    You should open up your very own bakery shop. These look wonderful and the use of the quinoa makes them actually very good for you. Yum!

  23. Sonia said,

    June 7, 2011 @ 1:01 am

    As I look on those bars, I know that they are extremely delicious. I would love to taste that someday.

  24. Rohan said,

    June 15, 2011 @ 8:55 am

    These look amazing!!!!!
    What a great snack for when your out and about!

  25. Jen (eat, run, love) said,

    February 23, 2013 @ 11:16 am

    I’m always looking for new snack foods that I can bake at home and take to-go. Can’t wait to make these!

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