It's Sunday again! I CANNOT believe how fast time is moving these days!
I have one great recipe for today and one so so recipe for today - Energy Bites and Bars.
Derek and I need a lot of energy and protein for our jobs here at the park - we do A LOT of physical work. We eat HUGE breakfasts since most of the physical work - more like a 2 hour work out - is in the morning with cleaning and the racking of sites. I am always looking for ways to provide us with morning food that will keep us going plus snacks to refuel as we are working.
Quinoa is something I have been working hard to work into our diets this year. Last year I was reading a healthy foods book and discovered what a great - complete - protein quinoa is! It is also a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. It is also gluten free.
WoW! How come I did not know this!
I now have a pinterest board dedicated to just quinoa recipes. In fact that is how I found the Quinoa Energy Bars that I am baking today.
But first things first - here is a super energy ball recipe that I have made twice now - it is quickly replacing the Grainy Seedy Cookies as the Wood Clan favourite.
No Bake Energy Bites
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup toasted coconut flakes ( I used sweetened)
1/2 cup chocolate chips ( or cut up dark chocolate!)
1/2 cup peanut butter ( I used crunchy)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
This is a very quick and easy recipe! First I cut up our 72% dark chocolate into chocolate chip size chunks.
While I was doing that the coconut was toasting. ALWAYS check your toasting flakes frequently - in the past I've had more then a few overcook!
Place all the ingredients into a bowl...
and stir until thoroughly mixed. Place bowl in the fridge for about 1/2 hour.
Once chilled, roll into balls into the size you prefer. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. NO WAY will they last that long! Makes about 20 to 25 balls.
Similar to the Grainy Seedy Cookies I don't mind to much that Cassia snacks on these - a few - a day. They are full of good stuff! The first time I made them I stuck close to the recipe and only deviated by adding some wheat germ. I found the batter to very dry and hard to roll. I guess it didn't help that I left it in the fridge for a few hours! Just no time to roll!
The second time I experimented a bit and was much happier with the outcome. I used 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup almond butter. I again used part flax and part wheat germ. I also added about a teaspoon of coconut oil and made sure that the honey was liquid. The batter turned out a bit too wet but I just added a bit more oats and flax and they were just right for rolling.
This recipe comes from Riches to Rags by Dori.
This second recipe is for quinoa - nut power bars. Today was the first time I made the recipe. I'll tell you straight out now that we are not impressed. Darn! It had such potential too! All the right ingredients are there. I am including anyway because I think it can be saved - especially for those of you who don't like your treats too sweet and like a softer, instead of crunchy, bar.
And I'm not sure why but mine looks NOTHING like the picture from whence the recipe came over at Get off your tush and Cook.
Serves me right for making something WITHOUT chocolate in it!
Quinoa-Nut Power Bars
2 cups oats, rolled, quick cooking (perhaps one of my problems
1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup soy protein powder (optional - I didn't use)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup raw nuts and seeds
1/2 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice ( I didn't have this and neither did the Marissa - she used 1/4 cup honey and so did I - turns out it probably should have been at LEAST 1/2 cup honey! Maybe more!)
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (I used just plain old whole wheat flour - was that wrong?!)
1/4 cup oil (I used 1/8 cup coconut oil and 1/8 cup canola oil)
2 tsp vanilla (this may be part of my problem - I ran out of vanilla with the Cream Cheese Pound Cake - boy do I wish I had picked up some when we were in Mexico.)
1 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
Start by cooking the dry quinoa according to directions. Meanwhile -
Combine oats, flax, protein powder, baking soda, cane juice (or honey), flour, nuts, seeds, fruit, coconut and sea salt in a large bowl.
So so glad to have our ipad to cook with!
I roughly chop up the pumpkin seeds....
and the pecans.
Here's everything in the bowl.
Once the quinoa is cooked, add the oil, vanilla and water.
Add the wet to the dry and mix.
Spread mixture into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan, pressing down with fingers to fit into pan.
Marissa mentioned that the dough would seem dry but mine was wet.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool and cut into pieces.
Eat within a week. Hmmm - this could take months - I'll be eating them alone - Derek took a small bite and almost choked and for once Cassia said no to a sample.
They look good though right!?
Well, on to make dinner. It has been a busy week here at the park. Camping numbers are slowing increasing and keeping us busy. Plus we spent the day yesterday getting our trailer cleaned up for selling.
Tonight is the night for the pink bunny cake!!! As baked by Derek for Cassia's third birthday tomorrow. Boy - has the time REALLY flown by. Tomorrow I'll have all the highlights of Cassia's BD! Derek spent last night setting up her pink Radio Flyer tricycle from her Gram Gram - I can't wait to see the expression on her face!
Thanks for visiting on Sunday Cook Sunday.
Teresa
Today's Interesting Link: Never fear I have tons more granola bar type recipes pinned! Maybe I'll try these next time from Lauren's Latest - No Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. Perhaps quinoa just doesn't belong in a bar - do yo have a good quinoa bar recipe you would like to share?
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