Healthy Quinoa Protein Bars

These protein-packed, gluten-free and only slightly sweetened bars are a healthy, grab-and-go snack or breakfast item. This recipe is easy and endlessly customizable — a “kitchen sink” recipe. Dried, fresh or frozen fruit, coconut, seeds, nuts … throw them all into the mix! You can’t go to wrong, as long as you don’t add so many extras that the mixture is as dense as wet concrete. These bars can be made in advance and last for days in the refrigerator.

— Maribeth Evezich, MSN ('06), RD, CDN, Bastyr alumnus and blogger at Wholefoodsexplorecom

Ingredients

3 cup

quinoa, cooked and completely cooled

1 cup

rolled oats (gluten-free or regular)

1⁄2 tsp

salt

1 cup

berries, fresh or frozen (or other fruit chopped into 1/4-inch chunks)

1⁄2 cup

raw nuts or seeds (optional) (chopped walnuts, almonds or pumpkin seeds work well)

6  

eggs, beaten

1⁄2 cup

rice or almond milk

1⁄2 cup

organic brown rice sugar or raw honey

2 tsp

vanilla extract

4 tsp

cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F.
2. Line a baking pan with lightly greased parchment paper.
3. Combine cooked quinoa, oats and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix until well combined. Add in the fruit and nuts or seeds (optional).
4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs.
5. Add almond or rice milk, brown sugar or honey, vanilla extract and cinnamon to the egg mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. If using raw honey, heating it slightly will make blending easier.
6. Add the egg mixture to the quinoa mixture and stir to combine. The batter will be very thick. Pour into the parchment-lined baking dish and distribute evenly.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and set.
8. Invert to a baking rack to cool as quickly as possible.
9. When cool, cut and serve alone or with nut butter.
10. Store bars refrigerated in an air-tight container.