Sunday, June 16, 2013

what did i do wrong?

OK internet, help me out here:

I've been looking for a recipe for healthy snack bars, to replace store bought "chewy" bars. The bars can't contain nuts or peanuts.

My nutritionist sent me a recipe for Chocolate Date Protein bars. I made the bars, following the recipe exactly and ended up with a very, very tasty paste - too sticky to be rolled into balls, let alone made into bars.

She's away indefinitely and I can't find a comparable recipe online. Can someone figure out how to give these bars more integrity?

I used ground hemp. Could that be the problem? Is it possible to buy whole seeds? Would that help?

I don't want to post someone's recipe online but you soak the dates and then blend them with the cocoa and sweetener and then add the hemp seeds for a few seconds at the end. There's no cooking - you just chill it in the fridge.

Thoughts?

I'm also in the market for healthy and nut-free snack bar recipes. Any thoughts there would be appreciated as well.



8 comments:

Eco Mom said...

Laurie, did you use dried dates? If not, then they don't really need soaking. Just de-seed, chop them up and blend the whole thing...

laurie said...

Thank you!! I did use dried dates. They were already pitted and dried. I will try again without soaking.

Holly Bruns said...

What about some oats to add a little structure? I like the recipes here: http://www.naturalfoodpantry.ca/recipes/#.Ub8-2OfVD5s And here: http://www.theppk.com/

Stephanie Sugars said...

Hi Laurie,

Rebecca Katz's Anytime Bars are a staple http://www.myfoodmyhealth.com/HowItWorks/Sample-Recipes/Anytime_Bars.pdf

Her books - One Bite at a Time and The Cancer Fighting Kitchen are classics.

More recipes by her and others here and here -
http://rebeccakatz.com/recipe-box/

http://www.4wholeness.com/breast-cancer/food-recipes-for-healthy-diet

love, Stephanie

laurie said...

Holly! Hi there! And thanks so much to you both. I'm starting to get excited about getting at it again.

Lene Andersen said...

please share what you find with me - I've been on the look-out for the same things.

This looks adaptable http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/09/granola-bars/ and so do these http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/no-bake-granola-bars/.

Stephanie Sugars said...

Hi Laurie,

Anytime bars by Katz contain nuts, though easy to substitute seeds.

Since you have the "goopy" part, consider stirring in organic "rice krispies" or puffed cereal or even flaked quinoa.

Easy to do it gluten-free.

Happy eating,
Stephanie

laurie said...

I love the internet. And I love you guys. I am thrilled with the response to this post. Stephanie: Thanks so much!