No-Bake Granola Bars from Plant-Powered Families, Review & Giveaway

 

Friends help make your life easier, sweeter, better. 

Dreena Burton is just such a friend to any vegan family. She has written five vegan cookbooks that are filled with delicious whole-foods based recipes that can take you from everyday meals through special occasions. She also is the creator of the wonderful website, Plant-Powered Kitchen.

Dreena's newest book, Plant-Powered Families, takes her care for vegan families to a whole new level. Not only does the book contain over 100 family-friendly recipes, but she also talks families new to plant-based eating through issues including how to stock your kitchen, how to create meals that meet the nutrition needs of growing children and satisfy even picky palates, and she provides menu plans, too.

Even if your family doesn't eat wholly plant-based, this is a wonderful resource. The recipes are easy and tasty. They use whole foods, minimal oils and added sugars. Because the book is vegan, it's a great tool for egg- and/or dairy-allergic families. Also, many of the recipes are gluten-free or have a gluten-free option. There are options to keep things nut-free, too.

Dreena and her publisher, BenBella Books, are sharing her recipe for No-Bake Granola Bars. They are also giving away a copy of Plant-Powered Families to one of our readers. (Enter the giveaway below the recipe.)
 

Photo by Nicole Axworthy from Plant-Powered Families used with permission.

 

No-Bake Granola Bars (from Plant-Powered Families by Dreena Burton, BenBella Books 2015)

Makes 8–10 bars or 16 squares

These bars are perfect for school lunches because they are nut-free and pack very well. Plus, they are pretty simple to put together!

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 packed cup coconut butter (see note) (Coconut Butter instructions here.)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup oat flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

11/2 cups natural brown rice crisp cereal

3 tablespoons nondairy chocolate chips (optional)

Line an 8" × 8" pan with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over medium/medium-low heat, add the brown rice syrup, coconut butter, vanilla extract, sea salt, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined and the coconut butter has melted. Add the rolled oats, and stir through, allowing to cook for 2–3 minutes in the low heat. Add the oat flour and shredded coconut, and stir through.

Remove the pot from the stove. Swiftly stir in the cereal and transfer the mixture to prepared pan. Press mixture evenly into the pan (using a nonstick spatula or piece of parchment paper).

Wait just a minute, and then sprinkle on the chocolate chips and press those into the base. Refrigerate until fully chilled (at least 1/2 hour), then cut in squares or bars.

Coconut Butter Note: Coconut butter works well here because it is so dense and helps bind the bars. Because coconut is not botanically a nut, these are also perfect for school lunches.

However, if you want to substitute a nut butter, choose one that is very dense, like cashew butter.

Idea: Try some of these flavor variations:

• Raisin-spice: Stir in 3–4 tablespoons raisins, omit the chips, increase the cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon, and add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon of allspice.
• Cranberry–pumpkin seed: Stir in 3–4 tablespoons of dried cranberries and substitute pumpkin seeds for the coconut.
• Cocoa-hemp: Substitute 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds for the coconut, and add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder (when mixing in the oat flour). Keep the chocolate chips, oh yes!

Want more? Enter to win your own copy of Plant-Powered Families!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want to try some more recipes from Plant-Powered Families while waiting to get your own copy?

• Go Dairy Free has Creamy Vegan Fettucine . 
• Wendy Polisi has Ta-Quinos.
• Stephanie Weaver has White Bean Guacamole.
• Spabettie has Crazy Brownies. 
• Healthy Blender Recipes has Creamy Vegan Fettucine.
• Ricki Heller has Super Stuffed Sweet Potato.

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.