Nutty Grain and Oat Bars

Name: Nutty Grain and Oat Bars
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 118 milliliters raw almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, or cashews; 2 Tbsps amaranth; 2 Tbsps unsalted butter or virgin coconut oil; 1 teaspoons kosher salt; 237 milliliters pure maple syrup; 6 larges Medjool dates, pitted, chopped; 473 milliliters old-fashioned oats; 118 milliliters shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas); 118 milliliters shelled sunflower seeds

You can never have too many hor d'oeuvre recipes, so give Nutty Grain and Oat Bars a try. This recipe serves 16. Watching your figure? This gluten free and vegan recipe has 201 calories, 4g of protein, and 8g of fat per serving. This recipe covers 9% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. If you have maple syrup, sunflower seeds, old-fashioned oats, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 45 minutes.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an8 1/2x4" loaf pan with nonstick spray and linewith parchment paper, leaving an overhangon long sides; spray parchment.

Equipment you will use

Baking Paper

Loaf Pan

Oven

Bring dates and maple syrup to a boil ina small saucepan, reduce heat to medium-high,and boil, stirring often, until datesare very soft and maple syrup is slightlyreduced, 8–10 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Maple Syrup

Dates

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Remove datemixture from heat and stir in butter untilit is melted. Mash dates with a potatomasher or fork until as smooth as possible.(if you have an immersion blender, it willwork, too). You should have about 1 cup.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Dates

Equipment you will use

Immersion Blender

Toss oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflowerseeds, amaranth, and salt in a largebowl.

Ingredients you will need

Pumpkin Seeds

Amaranth

Almonds

Oats

Salt

Mix in date mixture until evenly coated.Scrape half of oat mixture into preparedpan and press very firmly and evenly witha rubber spatula to compress it as muchas possible.

Ingredients you will need

Dates

Equipment you will use

Spatula

Add remaining oat mixture andpress until very tightly packed into pan.

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Bake, tenting with foil if browning tooquickly, until loaf is darkened in color andfirm around the edges, and center givesjust slightly when pressed, 45–50 minutes.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Aluminum Foil