18 Rabbits

You may remember the amazingly delicious granola recipe I posted (here) a while back. Well, finding a granola that tastes this good that is low in sugar is nearly impossible. Earlier this week I came across 18 Rabbits in the Hailey Albertson's and decided to try it. 

With only 3g of sugar per serving I was intrigued. It's usually that granola this low in sugar just tastes like baked oats out of a bag, but this is delicious! 

They also sell the granola in other flavors and as granola bars. All of their products are organic, gluten free, non GMO, dairy free, and soy free. 

I'm anxious to try this fig, cranberry and hazelnut bar.

And they have Jr Granola Cereal that is filled with crispy brown rice, seeds and fruit.

I don't often buy granola or granola bars because of the high sugar, but 18 Rabbits is going to become a regular in our house. 

C&C in the Kitchen

For the month of January I have made an attempt to cut both refined sugar and alcohol out of my diet. Truth be told, I haven't cut it out completely, but I'm trying, and that's what counts. 

On Friday I was craving something sweet, so I decided to try a new recipe I found for No-bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars on the blog Hummusapien. 

These bars are GOOD. I mean....really, really good! It's hard to just eat one...or two...or three.  I made them again yesterday using almond butter, and they were equally as tasty. Try them. You won't be sorry. 

INGREDIENTS

7 large pitted medjool dates(about ½ cup packed), soaked

5 tbsp hot water

½ cup peanut butter

3 tbsp brown rice syrup (or honey)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups old-fashioned oats

¼ cup chia seeds

2 tbsp ground flaxseed

INSTRUCTIONS

Line a shallow baking dish with parchment paper (or wax paper). I used a 7x11 glass dish.

Place pitted dates in a bowl. Cover with boiling or very hot water (I used my tea kettle). Allow them to soak for at least 10 minutes.

Place soaked dates plus 5 tbsp of the soaking water in a blender (I used my nutribullet). Blend until combined. The mixture will be very thick.

Place date mixture, peanut butter, brown rice syrup, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well-combined and heated through.

In a large bowl, combine oats, chia seeds, and flax. Stir in wet mixture until combined.

Spoon mixture into baking dish, pressing very firmly so mixture is evenly spread throughout pan. It should be very compact. Place another piece of parchment paper on top and press down firmly. Remove top piece of parchment and freeze bars for at least 2 hours.

Cut into 12 bars. Store in the freezer.

C&C in the Kitchen

A few weeks ago I posted a tasty granola bar recipe (here). While I love this recipe and have been eating these bars nearly daily, they are pretty heavy in "nut butter", and have a good bit of sugar, albeit natural, given the honey as a sweetener.

So, last week I went in search of a granola bar recipe that doesn't contain nut butter or a lot of sugar. I found this one, and have used it as a source of inspiration to create my own recipe which I thought I would share with you today.

I'm calling them Banana Bread Granola Bars because they taste like banana bread but in thin little squares. Here is the finished product.

You can add whatever combination of nuts and dried fruit you choose. I made two batches last week. The first batch had the ingredients listed below. In the second batch I used cashew meal, cashews, and dried cherries.

Ingredients
3 medium/large bananas
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup almond meal
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used a combination of cherries, blueberries and mango)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tbs chia seeds (optional)
2 tbs ground flax seed (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish (approx. 8.5" x 12.5") and line with a piece of parchment paper so the bars are easier to lift out.
In a large bowl or mixer, mash the banana until smooth. Add in the vanilla.
Stir oats into the banana mixture.
Add the nuts and fruit and the rest of the ingredients into the banana-oat mixture until thoroughly combined.
Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Press down until compacted and smooth out with hands until even.
Bake for 25 minutes or until firm and lightly golden along the edge.
Place dish on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then slice into bars once they are cool.

They can easily be wrapped up and taken with you on a hike, in your purse, or eaten straight out of the pan. I took some to the Mini's teachers and they enjoyed them. I hope you do as well!

Happy, Healthy Baking!

C&C in the Kitchen

I came across this recipe for quinoa granola bars and knew I had to try it! I love granola and granola bars and have recently stopped buying nearly all store varieties of both due to added sugar and other preservatives. Instead I prefer to make my own!

As with nearly all recipes, I modified it into my own creation!

Quinoa Granola Bars

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 cup coconut
1/4 cups nuts (your choice) or dried fruit (or both)
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup peanut butter

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.  Lightly coat a 8 x 8 baking pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment for easy removal of the bars. I suggest the latter. As a side note, I used a large glass Pyrex dish and doubled the recipe to share with my barre3 class.

In a medium skillet melt the coconut oil over medium heat and add the oats.  Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until the oats start to turn golden brown.  Transfer the oats to your mixer bowl (or a medium bowl).  Add the quinoa, flaxseed, chia seeds, cinnamon, salt, cardamom, coconut, nuts and fruit to the oats.

In a small saucepan add the honey and peanut butter and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.  Pour the syrup over the oats and use mixer to integrate or use a spatula make sure that all the ingredients are evenly coated.  Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake the bars for 20 to 25 minutes until the bars are golden brown.  Let them cool completely, slice and serve.

Here is what they look like before going into the oven.

And after baking!

You could easily exchange peanut butter for another nut butter and add ingredients such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, raisins, cranberries or chocolate chips. These are definitely going to be a treat that I make often. They are easy and delicious!