Blueberry, Date & Cashew Quinoa Vegan Protein Bars
This protein bar recipe is my best so far! This was the first time I'd tried baking with Quinoa Flour and it really performed well. Utilising the protein in the Quinoa Flour, as well as the Protein Powder, I've managed to give these bars a good amount of protein punch, while at the same time keeping the fats and carbohydrates at a really responsible level. Quinoa Flour is also gluten-free!
I always love using Flaxmeal for it's Omega-3 content and Coconut Flour smells amazing, plus it's higher in fibre and lower in carbs than wheat flour and is also gluten-free!
The Chia adds protein, fibre and antioxidants, and the blueberries and dates are also high in fibre vitamins and antioxidants.
I could pretty much go one and on about the amazeballness of all of the ingredients in these bars but the short story is that they are packed full of 'Nom Tastique' goodness! Hurrah!
Ingredients
Part 1
1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup protein power (I used Body Science Organic Vegan Protein in Vanilla)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flaxmeal
1 tbsp chia
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 medium size bananas
100g blueberries
1/4 cup coconut/almond milk
Part 2
1/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup or about 8 dates chopped into chunks
Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees celsius.
This recipe is easier to mix if you have a food processor but if not you could mix it by hand.
I recommend adding all of the Part 1 Ingredients into your food processor first, wazzing it up and then taking the bowl (and the blade) off the machine and mixing in the Part 2 Ingredients by hand with a spoon, so you still get that nice chunky goodness of the cashews and dates.
When everything is mixed, put it onto a silicon baking sheet or some baking paper on a baking tray and use your hands and a spoon to smoosh it into a rectangle shape like this. It's a wet textured mix so if you need to, use the back of the spoon to smoosh it where you want it.
I then used a butter knife (not a sharp knife) to slice the mixture into the 16 bars. It's a good idea to do this before they go into the oven, so when they are cooked it's easier to get them apart.
Bake at 175 degrees celsius (my oven is fan forced so you may need to adjust) for 15 mins.
When they come out of the oven let them cool for a few minutes and then carefully break apart into bars. You might need to gently use the butter knife to loosen them from the sheet and each other.
I love heating mine up for about 15 seconds in the microwave when I eat them because I keep them in the fridge. They usually last around 5 to 7 days in the fridge :)
MACROS ARE
112 calories per bar
14g carbohydrate, 7g protein, 3 g fat
