Photo: Instagram @spicyperspectiv.
To be honest, I’m not sure what to think of “diets.” It can be difficult to distinguish between what is a healthy, sustainable way of eating, and what is a just another fad program. While I may be a little skeptical of the Paleo Diet, I do believe that the food it incorporates is very nourishing and healthy. It cuts out a lot of things we may need, but we tend to overeat. These Paleo bars keep things simple. They’re all natural, and they’re loaded with protein. If you’ve got the time to make your own snack bars, I definitely recommend this recipe.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups whole raw cashews
1 1/2 cups whole raw almonds
1 cup chopped raw pecans
1 cup chopped raw walnuts
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup organic coconut palm sugar
1/3 cup organic blue agave
1 tbsp organic vanilla extract
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 oz organic dark chocolate
Instructions
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 (or close to that) baking dish with parchment paper.
-Add cashews, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds to a large bowl.
-Pour the coconut palm sugar, agave, vanilla extract, sea salt, and cinnamon into a sauce pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved pour immediately into the bowl with the nuts.
-Quickly stir the nuts until they are completely coated. Pour into the prepared baking sheet. Use wax paper to firmly press the mixture together.
-Bake the nut bars on the center oven rack for about 20 minutes. The tops should be golden. Remove from th oven and cool for 45 minutes in the pan.
-Lift the nut bars out of the pan using the parchment paper. Cut into 24 bars and spread out.
-Break the chocolate into pieces, melt in a double-boiler, and drizzle using a plastic bag (cut the very tip of a corner of the bag off).
-Allow the bars to dry, then wrap, and use within a week.
Note: this recipe was adapted from A Spicy Perspective. For more recipes like this one visit www.aspicyperspective.com.
