GRANOLA BARS

A few weekends ago, my husband, daughter and I headed up north on a much needed vacation. Having a food allergy [not to mention several] makes eating "on-the-go" a much more difficult affair. I have had enough experience to know that I need to bring my own food and plan for anything. One of the ways I have made this convenient is by making individually wrapped granola bars [remember to recycle the wrap if you can - The Tree Hugger Store recycles wrap]. This recipe can be adapted in many ways - I've provided some alternative ingredient combinations below [*].

1 2/3 c. oats [not instant]

1/2 c. sucanat or sugar of choice

1/3 c. oat flour [or grind oats to fine consistency]

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. dried fruit*

2 c. nuts [lightly ground]*

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. coconut oil [melted]

1/4 c. honey or maple syrup [I like honey for its thicker consistency]

2 tbsp. brown rice syrup

1 tbsp. water

Line an 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper [there should be enough paper to run up the sides]. Set aside.

Toss together all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredient mixture over the dry and combine until the dry ingredients are coated well. Press mixture into prepared dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until edges are just turning brown.

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Place in refrigerator for an additional 1 - 2 hours or until firm and cold [this will make the bars easier to cut].

Once completely cooled, pull the bars out of the dish using the parchment paper as "handles". Place on cutting board [with parchment paper]. Gently cut into squares or rectangles. Wrap each bar with plastic wrap or store all in a container in the refrigerator [if you are storing in a container, you can reuse the parchment paper to keep the granola bars from sticking to one another].

Alternative nut and fruit combinations:

*walnuts + sunflower seeds + toasted coconut + dried cherries + raisins

*walnuts + pumpkin seeds + 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice + sunflower seeds + dried apples

*almonds + cashews + dried dates + yellow raisins + regular raisins + dried currants

*cashews + sunflower seeds + sesame seeds + toasted coconut + semi-sweet chocolate chips

*walnuts + cashews + toasted coconut + lemon zest + dried blueberries

*walnuts + pumpkin seeds + sesame seeds + flax seeds + sunflower seeds + dried fruit mix

*you can also add 1/2 c. of nut butter of choice