What to snack on that is “real food”, healthy and good tasting, with no added sugar, sodium or unpronounceable ingredients? These are common questions these days. You will want to bookmark this recipe because it is so incredibly simple it will make a kitchen wizard of even the most uncomfortable cook. Not only that, you can save money on store-bought bars, by economically purchasing ingredients so you always have them on hand. See vegan and gluten-free options, too. Excited? Here we go. Don’t you just love those “two ingredient “ recipes?
Ingredients for Basic Nutty Whole-Food Bars:
- 1 cup (240 mL) pitted dates
- 2 cups (480 mL) chopped cashews (or your favorite chopped nut and dried fruit mix)
Directions for making Best Nutty Whole-Food Bars:
- Place dates in a medium size bowl. If dates are “hard” then add 1 teaspoon water and microwave for a minute to soften them up. Add the chopped cashews.
- With hands, knead until well combined.
- Form rounded tablespoon- sized balls and press out lengthwise on foil cut into 4” x 6” (10 cm x 15 cm) pieces, to form 4” (10 cm) snack bar “logs” .
- Press logs down slightly to flatten the nutty snacks. Carefully seal the bars with foil. Press down with a book to professionally flatten them if desired. Other shapes may be formed like balls or rounded “cookies”.
- Freeze for 30 minutes until firm. Store in refrigerator for extra firmness if desired. Otherwise nutty bars may be stored at room temperature.
Variations
Have fun finding out what flavors your family prefers. Try adding spices and extracts to add flavors and make “pie” variations, like cinnamon, for apple pie and maple flavoring for maple pecan pie. Choose from dried cranberries, figs, unsweetened coconut, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried chopped peaches, blueberries, apricots, mangoes, bananas or apples. Simply treat them as part of the nut mixture. Example: instead of the 2 cups (480 mL) of cashews in the recipe use 1 cup (240 mL) chopped fruits and 1 cup (240 mL) chopped nuts. Add the fruit and mix it in with your hands. Chocolate chips and carob chips also make nice additions.
Vegan and Gluten-Free Options
Please note that all of the above ingredients are vegan and gluten-free. Just be sure that the supplier of your nuts and fruits agrees that no cross-contamination may exist from other products during production.
The Benefits of Eating These Bars
Nuts are heart healthy, and dates provide much needed fiber and potassium in a sodium-free form. Nuts are high in plant sterols and the fat content is primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated consisting of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)--omega three fatty acids . Nut health benefits include but are not limited to:
Almonds
Almonds are a good source of fiber and protein, vitamin E, needed minerals, plus magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorous, riboflavin, and folic acid.
Cashews
Provide iron, zinc, and B6 vitamins as well as riboflavin (B), with a fat content that is less than many other nuts.
Pecans
Deliver needed antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, oleic acid and Vitamin E.
Walnuts
Walnuts have greater levels of omega three fatty acids when compared to other varieties of nuts.
Nuts in General
In 2003, the FDA approved a Heart Health Claim for 7 varieties of nuts. This claim can appear on nut labels:
"Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 oz per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease."
These Bars are Kid Friendly
These healthy whole-food bars make perfect snack bars for kids' lunch kits or after school snacks. Go online to buy everyone’s favorite bar nuts and fruits in bulk. You will be surprised how much money can be saved by making these easy homemade bars. Have a party and sample flavor combinations to let everyone pick their very favorite. This lets the kids become part of choosing to eat healthy their way.
Sources:
- International Nut & Dried Fruit Foundation
- University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County, Lincoln, Nebraska
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Brenda K. Oswalt - Brenda Oswalt is a French trained cook, writer, businesswoman/inventor who holds several medical patents.
