Homemade Granola Bars

This is a great recipe if you like snacking on something healthy and a bit different. I adapted this recipe from here: http://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/. Thanks to my friend Kim who introduced me to it, that recipe is great too. These bars turned out nice and moist, sticky and naturally sweet. Try it!  

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups packed, pitted dates

2 cups rolled oats (or gluten-free oats)

¼ cup + 3 tbsp. organic honey

¼ cup almond butter (or natural peanut butter) 

¼ cup raw slivered, unsalted almonds

¼ cup crumbled pecans

¼ cup unsweetened craisins

¼ cup golden raisins

6 tbsp. raw unsalted pumpkin seeds

3 tbsp. raw, shelled hemp seeds

2 tbsp. sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

Toast oats and almonds at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until slightly golden. Process dates in a food processor, scrape down the sides a few times until a cohesive ball forms. Warm honey and almond butter in a small pot until smooth and runny and pour over the oat mixture. Combine all ingredients together, mix well, using a spoon to break up the dates. Press evenly into an 8x8 parchment lined baking dish and cool in the fridge for about 20 minutes. If the mixture is too sticky, grease the back of a spatula with some olive oil and press down. After cooling, remove from dish and cut into bars or squares. Store in the fridge. 

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Here's how to make gluten-free banana bread with no refined sugar, oil or butter. This loaf comes out pretty dense but moist and very tasty.

Ingredients:
2 cups sorghum flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
1/2 cup organic honey
2 organic eggs, beaten
3 mashed bananas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with a little olive oil. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, mix applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla and honey. Stir in beaten eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir wet mixture into flour mixture, just to moisten and pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for about 55 minutes, until dark brown and a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack.