Orange Cranberry Cardamom Bars
By the Gracious Vegan
One of my testers reported to me on this one: “One word: YUM!” Don’t let the plain brown look of these bars fool you. They are bursting with flavor. And no sugar, butter, or other processed ingredients — a win-win. The cardamom, orange, and cranberry complement each other incredibly well. These would be especially good for a healthy holiday treat. No sacrifice here.
Makes an 8”x8” pan of bars (a double recipe fits in a 13”x9” pan)
Line an 8”x8” baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Roast the quinoa, nuts, and seeds. Spread out the quinoa and pumpkin seeds in a 13”x9” or 16”x12” pan. Bake them in the oven for 7 minutes.
3/8 cup raw pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
1/4 cup quinoa
Remove from the oven and add the following ingredients. Bake for another 7 minutes. Everything should all be aromatic and starting to brown.
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pecans, walnuts, cashews, or macadamia nuts, chopped
1/8 cup hemp or sesame seeds
Make the date-flax paste. Blend the following ingredients in a small blender (I use my bullet blender) until as smooth as possible – it doesn’t have to be ultra-smooth. (Soak the dates and flaxseed for 5-10 minutes in the water beforehand if you have time.)
4-5 Medjool dates cut into a few pieces each, about 1/2 cup dates
2/3 cup warm water
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
Put it all together. In a medium bowl, stir together the following ingredients until smooth.
The date/flax paste
Zest from one orange (large orange, if possible)
3/4 cup almond butter (almond butter, not flour)
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or 1-to-1 flour for gluten-free)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon vital wheat gluten (or 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum for gluten-free)
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Add the following ingredients and stir again.
The roasted quinoa, nuts, and seeds
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or other dried fruit of your choice)
Spread the mixture in the baking pan and bake in a 350°F oven for 22-28 minutes, until golden brown, with the sides turned a darker shade of brown. Allow them to cool completely before slicing so that they hold together better.
Timing: About an hour
Gluten-free options