Gimme Gimme Granola Bars
By: Feed Me I'm Hungry
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 32 Bars
Ingredients
¼ cup raw sesame seeds
¼ cup unrefined, cold-pressed sesame oil
1/3 cup raw honey
½ cup natural, smooth peanut butter
½ cup brown rice syrup
2 cups large-flake rolled oats
11/4 cups raw sunflower seed kernels
1 cup crisp puffed (brown rice) cereal
1 cup dried, unsulphured, chopped apricots or raisins (optional)
½ cup raw peanuts, chopped
½ cup ground flax seed
1 Line a 13" x 9" pan with parchment paper. Pre-heat oven to low setting (about 180 or 200 F).
2 In a medium saucepan, lightly toast sesame seeds over medium heat until they begin to brown. Remove from heat. Add oil, honey, peanut butter and brown rice syrup. Stir until smooth.
3 In a large bowl, combine remainder of ingredients. Pour liquid mixture over top, and stir to combine. Do not over-mix.
4 Pack mixture into pan, pressing down firmly with the back of a warm, wet spatula or hands.
5 Place in pre-heated oven for 40 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into bars with warm, wet knife. Store in fridge, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutritional Analysis per bar
Calories - 182 kcal
Total Carbohydrate - 21 g
Fibre - 3.3 g
Total Fat - 9.8 g
Saturated Fat - 1.4 g
Mono-unsaturated Fat - 3.2 g
Poly-unsaturated Fat - 4.7 g
Protein - 5.6 g
Sodium - 8.3 mg
Alternative ingredients
Peanut butter, nuts and seeds: use your favourite "nut butter", nuts and seeds as a substitute for those listed. Omit if allergic.
Oats: gluten-free puffed millet or quinoa-corn flakes are a good substitute for the oats.
Sesame oil: Sunflower or canola oil in place of sesame, however, do not use hemp or flax oil, as these cannot be heated.
Ages & Stages
6 mths - 1 year: Not suitable due to a variety of nuts, seeds and honey.
1-2 years: Suitable towards end of first year if almonds/almond butter is used, and nuts are ground. Sesame is a potential allergen, thus proceed with caution if you use sesame seeds. Ensure your child is o.k. with the individual ingredients first! To avoid a choking hazard - offer small, ½" chunks.
2-4 years: Do not use peanuts/peanut butter until at least age 3.
5 years +: Suitable - great for breakfast on the go, snacks or dessert.
Health Tips
One bar is a good source of fiber and very low in sodium. Although this is not a low-fat recipe, it is high in the good poly-unsaturated fats - the omega-3's and 6's. This is the perfect mid-afternoon snack that will keep you satisfied until dinner!
To prevent rancidity, make sure you refrigerate ALL raw nuts, seeds, and unrefined oils.
Short Cuts
This recipe is super easy to whip together with pantry staples!
Make a big batch and freeze. Defrost before snacking.
Feed Me…I'm Hungry! is a self-published book featuring over 80 delectable recipes. Each recipe can be easily modified to suit different age groups, picky eaters, or special dietary requirements. Every selection features wonderful ingredients drawn from culturally diverse menus and inviting photographs.
Healthy Kid-Tested Recipes - Nutritionist approved - Dr. recommended!
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© Toronto4Kids - March 2008 |
