Receta Fruit and Nut Chewy Bars...
Every January, for the past ten years, I have headed to the travel section of the nearest book store to purchase the latest guide books on Italy. For months afterwards I would pour over those books, planning our adventure. Our IMAGINARY adventure. And then it happened - last October we actually WENT to Italy! This past week I found myself in an awkward position...standing in the travel section of the local book shop and not knowing which guide book(s) to buy! Ireland? Russia? China? We have friends living in China and going to see them seems like a no-brainer, but the mister would rather go to Vietnam, even though he's been there 3 or 4 times in as many years (I'm certain he has another family in Hanoi because why else would he keep going there - by himself - curious, no?) So...when I told the mister of my dilemma...not knowing which guide book to buy, he said, "We are not going anywhere until I lose this gut!" Since when did his gut become MY problem?!? Oh sure, I make the food but I'm not the one shoveling it in! At no time has the mister been tied down and force fed but now WE have to be on a diet...not that that's a bad thing, but I don't do well with lettuce and Mrs. Dash.
As of today, the mister is on a diet, as am I, so this week I'll be posting the lucious lo-cal recipes that will have us licking our lips until the scales say it's okay to buy a guide book and take a trip!
One of the things the mister snacks on during the day at Global Headquarters are those orange-colored fake cheese crackers - every ounce of anything edible is processed out of them and nothing is left but cardboard tasting transfat...so if he can eat them he's going to LOVE these bars! Chewy, oat-y, nutty, and NO-BAKE (except for toasting the nuts)! While these "spa-candy-bars" might remind you of a granola bar, they are far from dry, crumbly or tasteless, which is what most granola bars tend to be...you'll find them to be perfect for the 3:00 afternoon cravings or the answer to a late-night-cruising in the pantry.
At 155 calories per bar the mister will be able to eat TWO per day - that ought to keep him happy!
- Fruit and Nut Chewy Bars - Adapted From Sunset Magazine, January 2011
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3/4 cup Mejool dates, pitted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup dried (or dehydrated) apples
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until light golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Warm honey in a microwave until the consistency of thin syrup, about 30 seconds. In a food processor, pulse honey, dates, cinnamon, and oats until all are coarsely chopped. Scrape out mixture into a medium bowl - mixture will be very stiff. Stir in nuts, cranberries, apples and coconut. Squeeze mixture into a ball, mixing with hands and picking up any loose bits in the bottom of the bowl.
Line a baking sheet with foil and grease foil. Using damp hands, firmly pat mixture onto foil into a compact 6x12-inch rectangle. Freeze until rectangle is firm enough to cut, about 20 minutes. Lift rectangle from foil to a work surface and cut into 16 bars. (Bars will be 3-inches by about 1 1/2-inches in size.) Wrap bars individually. They get moister and chewier after standing at least a day. Can be made up to 1 week ahead or frozen for 1 month.
These would make a great gift for your dieting friends, too! We're heading into the second full week of January when most people give up on their diets - these might just help them - and you - keep going!