My how time flies! Somehow it is already May and brochures have started coming in the mail for summer camps, etc. I don’t feel ready to plan the summer yet. I LOVE having my kiddos home with me, but I am sitting here wondering what the heck happened to winter??? Time needs to slow down a bit.
A new month means another Secret Recipe Club assignment and this month’s was a good one. I was assigned the blog, An Opera Singer in the Kitchen which got me all excited because I had already spent quite a bit of time surfing Noelle’s blog prior to even being assigned it. We both share similar food styles (she has a fondness for vegan food) and both of us are very into the health aspects of food, so this is a great pairing for me (Click HERE to learn more about Noelle).
There were a LOT of recipes I wanted to try; Fluffy Pumpkin Biscuits, Farmhouse Veggie Burgers, Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic & Mint (A post she did for SRC), Lasagna Soup…I could go on and on.
When i sat down to make my final decision I was in a sweet / crunchy kind of mood and decided to make the recipe she posted for Peanut Butter Granola Bars since it looked so AMAZING. I have always loved peanut butter and I am a granola monster, so I knew this would be a winner. I had a truckload of gluten-free oats in the pantry, so I thought I was all set to make this recipe and then I found out…I am ALLERGIC TO OATS!!! I had been suspecting this for a while and during my last appointment with Dr. Galitzer I had him test me and he informed me that my body REALLY doesn’t like oats.
Despite my new found knowledge that I have an oat allergy, I was bound and determined to make this granola bar recipe because I had my heart set on it, so I lugged myself to Mother’s Market on a quest for quinoa flakes. When I got there I was pleasantly surprised to discover Eden Organic’s Short Grain Brown Rice Flakes (Roasted & Rolled). These puppies looked very similar to rolled oats. Score! They are harder than rolled oats, but that is easily rectified by adding a little bit of liquid. I made the recipe as listed below with my notes in red. The next time I make these granola bars (you’d better believe there will be a next time, and a next time, and a next time), I plan on adding 1/4-1/3 cup of liquid (water, fresh juice, nut-based milk) to soften the brown rice flakes even more.
This recipe was a winner…
Peanut Butter Granola Bars
makes 18 bars
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (1 1/2 cups Eden brown rice flakes)
1 cup puffed brown rice cereal
3/4 cup puffed millet cereal (3/4 cup quinoa flakes)
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 cup dried sweet cherries (3/4 cup raisins & 3/4 cup dried cherries)
3/4 cup brown rice syrup
3/4 cup Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (organic peanut butter)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with coconut non-stick spray.
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.
In a small bowl add the peanut butter and the brown rice syrup. Place in microwave for 30 seconds (or heat in a saucepan on the stove over low heat…I would add the extra liquid at this point too).
Add the warmed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until evenly distributed.
Pour the mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish. Pat until evenly distributed. I pressed the granola mixture down as evenly and flatly as I could and then placed an identical pan on top and pressed that down to compact it further and even it out as much as possible.
Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Using a knife, cut into 4×2 inch bars.
NOTE – I accidentally dropped the pan when I was flipping it onto the cutting board (oops!). The pieces that I couldn’t rescue and make into bars became granola. I broke them up into a pan and baked them for another 7-10 minutes…delicious!!!
Cool completely and then wrap individually in Saran Wrap or store in a glass container (glass mason jar works perfect for the granola.
