Cooking From Scratch: Granola Bars

One of my more recent obsessions has been trying new recipes. In particular, I have found great joy in making things from scratch that I would previously have just bought, even very simple things, like soaking dried beans rather than buying canned; making my own stock/broth; mixing up salad dressings & sauces; making pastry for pies & pizza dough. It is a very satisfying thing to enjoy a dish in which you know every single ingredient & can proudly say you were involved in every step of the making process. It is also often more cost-effective. This concept of eating 'whole foods' has health benefits too, as the closer a food is to its original form, the more we can benefit from its nutrients. Also many processed packaged foods contain a multitude of extra ingredients that may not be so good for us, or that we are unable to identify, such as thickeners, various forms of genetically modified soy & corn, stabilisers & preservatives.

One of the processed packaged foods my husband & I tend to consume regularly are granola/muesli bars, as they are such an easy snack to eat on the go & can contain a lot of good stuff. So I decided to try my hand at making my own. This is a recipe that I have taken from my favourite quinoa recipe book (see previous post on the benefits of quinoa) & I really like as it is simple to make, contains a good mix of protein, fibre & fruit & can be easily tweeked to suit tastes & dietary requirements. I tend to make my bars a little smaller than the store bought varieties, so this recipe makes 25-30 bars. They keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge & freeze very well, defrosting in a matter of minutes.

Acknowledgements: Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming