Granola Nut Protein Bar Food

NUT-AND-SEED GRANOLA

Steps:

• Position an oven rack at the bottom of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Whisk the maple syrup and oil together in a large bowl. Add the almonds, pecans, coconut, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseed and salt, and toss to coat.
• Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and scrape and toss the mixture around. Continue to bake until golden and still slightly sticky, 10 to 12 minutes more. Or, for a deeper, toasted version, bake until deeply golden (you may start to smell the toasted nuts), 13 to 15 minutes more. Let cool. (The granola can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

PROTEIN GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for a glass pan). Lightly spray a 9- by 13- inch baking pan and a baking tray with nonstick spray.
• Mix together the protein powder, flour, oats, oat bran, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Crumble in the brown sugar, rubbing it with your fingers to break up any clumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Measure the yogurt, oil, and vanilla into a second bowl, stirring until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix patiently until thoroughly blended. (You may have to use your hands -- it will be a thick batter, verging on a dough.).
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, patting it evenly into place with your hands. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cut into bars of any size or shape. Place the bars on the prepared baking tray and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges. (For extra-crunchy bars, turn off the oven and leave them in there for up to 45 minutes longer.) Remove the bars from the oven, and place them on a rack to cool.
• Eat the bars within a few hours, or seal them in a heavy zip-style plastic bag and store in the freezer. For maximum crispness, "refresh" them in a toaster oven after defrosting.
• Variations:.
• Protein Boosters.
• You can make the main recipe with any combination of the following adjustments:.
• • Replace the canola oil with 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter (softened in a microwave).
• • Replace the flour with quinoa, ground to a powder in a blender or an electric spice grinder.
• • Replace the yogurt with mashed silken tofu (soft or firm). Add an extra pinch of salt.
• • Add 2 to 3 tablespoons powdered egg whites.
• • Add up to 1 cup chopped nuts and/or sunflower seeds.
• Cook's Notes:.
• These homemade bars are very economical, and you get to select all the ingredients according to your own standards, needs, and taste. For nondairy bars, replace the yogurt with unsweetened applesauce, canned pumpkin, or mashed banana. (Or try the silken tofu option in the Protein Boosters box.) Add an extra pinch of salt if using pumpkin or silken tofu. The range of sugar allows you to make these bars sweeter or not, according to your taste.

GRANOLA NUT PROTEIN BAR

Steps:

• In a double boiler, warm the peanut butter and honey to a smooth consistency. This step can be done in the microwave as well--just heat both ingredients for 70 to 90 seconds.
• In a mixing bowl, stir together all remaining dry ingredients. Pour in the peanut-butter mixture and stir until completely combined.
• Spread uniformly into a brownie pan. Slice into 12 to 16 pieces, then wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze before cutting if mixture does not seem to be hard enough.
• Each Granola Nut Protein Bar costs 25 to 35 cents to make, as opposed to 99 cents and up for store-bought energy bars. On top of that, if you do use organic ingredients, you won't believe the difference!

FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease an 8x8 glass pan.
• Place nuts and oats on a baking sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• While oats and nuts are toasting, place in a saucepan over medium heat the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
• Stir until the mixture bubbles, and keep it boiling and stirring for about 2 minutes.
• When oats and nuts come out of the oven, turn it down to 325.
• Take the pan off the heat, and when the oats are finished, pour them right into the saucepan and mix to combine honey mixture evenly.
• Stir in the chopped dried fruit.
• Press mixture into the glass pan with the back of a spoon - it will be pretty sticky.
• Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, and let cool completely before cutting.
• Wrapped in saran wrap, these will keep for at least a couple of weeks!

PROTEIN GRANOLA BARS WITH KASHI GOLEAN

Steps:

• Put first 3 ingredients (up to 1/8 cup water) into a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk in the next 8 ingredients (up to 1/4 teaspoon salt).
• Set aside or put into fridge.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Put the next 5 ingredients (oats, pepitas, almonds, soy nuts, wheat germ) on a cookie sheet and toast in oven for 10 minutes, stir after 5 minutes.
• Mix toasted ingredients, chopped fruit, GoLean cereal, and the mixture in the fridge thoroughly (easiest to do with your hands).
• Grease either a cookie sheet or muffin pan with calorie-free cooking spray.
• Either hand-form mixture into 15 well compressed equal sized cakes and put onto the cookie sheet, or compress into 12 to 16 muffin tins.
• Reduce heat to 300 degrees.
• Cook for 25 minutes.
• Let cool and individually wrap for fridge or freezer.