ColleenWaitWrites: Fruit and Nut Bars

Why the blog?

I write as the Spirit moves me. I have prayed about what I'm supposed to do with my life a lot. A lot. Writing. Writing is what I believe God is leading me to do. Whether or not He wants me to write for anyone to read is His business. Much of my writing has been therapy for me so maybe I'm the only one who is supposed to read it. So, why the Blog? As a sounding board, a note pad, a place to keep my ideas and thoughts. A place to share and promote my books, and photography. Written prayers, a place to vent. Possibly, even a place for the unknown reader to learn about the love of Jesus.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Fruit and Nut Bars

In my never-ending quest for the perfect running fuel, I present to you the "Fruit and Nut Granola Bar". The cocoa and amaranth bar is soft and great to take while running and my previous bar was chock full of chocolate chips. This time, no chocolate. I know, that's very different for me. These are great for pre-workout fuel and anytime for breakfast.

This bar takes time, two days or roughly 12-14 hours total including prep. Unless you want to start at 5 am give it two days. I dried my fruit on day one, the rest on day two. The results are well worth the effort.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup local, raw honey
3 cups oats (I use Quaker rolled)
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup each: pineapple and dark cherries
1/2 cup blackberry puree ( or 1 c blueberries)
1/2 c or 3 Majool dates pureed
1/4 tsp salt
1 c raw almonds
1/2 c raw cashews
1/2 c raw pumpkin seeds

*fruits and nuts can vary, but must partially dehydrate first. Also good with pistachios and sunflower seeds. Adding cacao beans and cacao powder gives an additional 'kick'.

Instructions:
First, puree and strain your blackberries and make a fruit roll up in your dehydrator. At the same time, partially dehydrate the pineapple and cherries and/or blueberries. Takes about 4 hours of drying time. I purchased dates from Nuts.com.

Blackberry fruit roll up.

TWO: Chop the fruit. Roll up the blackberry roll and chop/dice. Use 1/2 cup of this.

THREE: Chop the nuts.

FOUR: Add ingredients, one at a time in the order listed above. Stir after each addition.

FIVE: Line a baking dish or loaf pan with plastic wrap. This is your mold. Press down to about one inch thick then compress with a second dish or a brick or get a strong person to squish it for you (I have very little upper body strength).

Granola mix and loaf pan for a mold

SIX: Unwrap and place logs onto dehydrator trays.

Fruit and nut bar on dehydrator tray

SEVEN: Set dehydrator for 125F and dry for 8 hours. After this time it will be firm. They will harden further after cooling. If you want crunchier bars, leave in another hour or two.

EIGHT: Allow bars to cool for about 5 minutes, cut down into smaller pieces (I cut them into thirds) then begin wrapping. Wrap with plastic wrap to keep moisture in, for freshness, and for easy portability. Store in the refrigerator if not planning on eating within 3 days.