Our girl Elena Hight is back to share with us the recipe for her Cherry Quinoa energy bars. These tasty treats are the perfect healthy energy boost we need to keep us going during these long summer days!
Both main ingredients in this recipe have major benefits when it comes to our health! Cherries are rich in anthocynanins, a flavonoid that gives cherries their bright, red color. These guys are packed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and chemo preventative properties! Anthocynanins also assist in slowing the growth of premalignant cells and encourage apoptosis, a process which makes cancerous cells die faster. Quinoa on the other hand is rich in protein, unsaturated fats, and essential vitamins and minerals. It also contains polyphenols that may help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Here is what Elena has to say about this recipe:
“Summertime! I love summer and am trying to mix a bit of summer into everything that I eat ☺ Cherries are especially delicious right now and were the perfect ingredient for me to create an energy bar recipe around. I love to have something that is quick and easy to grab either on busy mornings, for an afternoon snack, or to have on a long hike or outside adventure. These bars are delicious and loaded with protein, complex carbs, and antioxidants from all the whole foods that are in them. Hope that they keep you running fast no matter what it is that you may tackling during the day!”
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped cherries
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup walnuts
- ¼ cup gluten free flour (I like quinoa flour or Bobs Red Mill gluten free flour mixture)
- ½ cup pitted dates
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 TBS flaxseed meal
- 3 TBS almond milk
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
- Cook ½ cup dry quinoa to make 1 cup cooked quinoa
- Combine 1 TBS flaxseed meal with 3 TBS almond milk or water if milk isn’t available. Let mixture sit to create a gel-like substance while you work on the rest of the recipe.
- Blend or process together 1 cup walnuts and ½ cup pitted dates until mixture resembles a chunky paste. (If you would rather not have the crunch of the walnuts you can continue to process until smooth)
- Pit and chop cherries. I have yet to find a good way to pit cherries so if you have one please share!!!
- Mix all ingredients together into a large bowl. Make sure that your quinoa has cooled before you mix it in with the rest of the ingredients, as it will melt your chocolate chips.
- Press mixture into a glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars.
Note: These bars get a little sticky in the heat so store them in a cool, dry place
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