Modified Granola Bars

With permission, I have been fiddling with Heather's recipe. Our family has been transitioning to eating according to Nourishing Traditions and The Maker's Diet, and the authors are not very fond of granola bars. The reason is that the grains and nuts are not soaked, which is necessary to release nutrients and get rid of inhibitors, which prevent the body from absorbing what it needs. Yet we are big granola bar fans, so I started trying to modify it to meet the requirements of NT and MD. Here are two recipes we are very excited about!

To start: soak your grains for about 48 hours. Just put whole oats into an equal amount of water and allow to sit for 2 days. Drain the water off, spread out on a cookie sheet, and dry in a very low oven or outside if the sun is hot (watch for critters). If you are going to make Trail Mix bars, 12 hours before the oats will be done, start a separate container of 1 cup water and 1 cup raw almonds. Drain them and dry out as with oats. You can dry them on the same tray, too.

Next, roll your oats in a grain roller. These rollers are very inexpensive. I got mine from Lehman's. Or borrow a friend's (I'm willing to share). We like ours rolled kinda thick so they are a little crunchy. *Measure oats AFTER rolling for recipes.

Basic Mix:

1/3 cup coconut oil or butter
1 cup Turbinado, crushed (I give mine a quick spin in the electric coffee mill)
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. maple syrup
3 cups soaked, rolled oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground sea salt

variation #1- trail mix bars. Add soaked almonds, ½ cup shredded coconut, and 1 cup dried cranberries to mix.

Variation #2- treat bars. Add 1 cup natural peanut butter and 1 cup Enjoy Life allergy free chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375*. Cream oil and sugar. Add honey and syrup. Sprinkle premeasured oats with salt and cinnamon. Mix oats into creamed mixture. Flatten and spread mixture evenly in pan. I use my rolling pin and a sheet of waxed paper to flatten in a large cookie sheet. Bake at 375*F for 17 minutes only. While the bars are still warm use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into bars. Allow to cool, (although they are yummy right out of the oven) and break apart. If your bars set too hard to cut, put in a warm oven for 1 minute, then cut through. I have a pizza cutter, the kind that rocks back and forth, and this makes cutting super easy.

I'm fiddling with Heather's hamburger roll recipe as well and will share those results when I get them!