RAW ENERGY BARS

lindseyelyzabeth

for any raw enthusiasts out there, these are some of the best raw "granola" bars i've made, to date. i'm always on the go with my job and barely ever have time for a lunch break. so, i'm always needing an "on the go" snack, which isn't always easy when you're trying to incorporated more raw foods into your diet. i always try to get a batch started in the dehydrator on my day off (which i'm doing, today!) if you've got a dehydrator, you've got to get some of these going! also, if anyone has any other great, raw recipes, i would love to hear about them! enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup raw almonds (soaked)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (soaked)
1/2 cup raw flax meal
1/3 cup raw agave necter
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
2 oz. goji berries
2 oz. cacao nibs
1/2 cup raw, organic unsweetened coconut flakes


DIRECTIONS:

soak almonds and pumpkin seeds for at least 6 hours. drain almonds and pumpkin seeds.
place almonds and pumpkin seeds in food processor. process until well ground but still chunky.
add agave, vanilla and cinnamon, pulse until well combined.
remove from food processor and place large bowl. add flax meal, cacao nibs and goji berries, stir.
press into a rectangle on non-stick dehydrator sheet (or spray sheet with non-stick spray). you want these to be 1/2″ thick.
dehydrate at 145 for 45 minutes. reduce heat and dehydrate for 3 more hours.
peel off dehydrator sheet, dehydrate for 2 more hours.
next, remove them from the dehydrator, cut into bars, separate so there is a little space in between each bar and return to dehydrator for 2-3 more hours. you want them dry but not brittle. they should be a little soft.
YIELDS ABOUT 16 BARS
ENJOY!


NUTRITION FACTS:

CALORIES: 148
CARBS: 13
FAT: 10
PROTEIN: 5
SUGAR: 7
SODIUM: 10

knittygirl52

Excuse my stupid question--are the pumpkin seeds the whole seed or just the kernel?

lindseyelyzabeth

great question! just the kernel - also known as "pepitas" on the west coast.

goingwithgrace

Which dehydrator did you buy? Cory and I were thinking of getting one but we'd like a good one and one that doesn't take 3 days to dehydrate. LOL!

lindseyelyzabeth

they all take a while to dehydrate - especially if you are really looking for the "raw" benefits. raw foods start to lose their enzymes and nutritional value when they are heated above 115 degrees. i have a nesco dehydrator that i got off of amazon.com - it works great and wasn't too expensive. but, it does usually take a whole day for my granola bars to dehydrate. you just have to be patient. if you aren't into the whole "raw" part of it, you can just bake them. calorie count will be they same, they just won't have the raw enzymes and good-for-you goodness.