Quinoa Chia Seed Protein Bars

Quinoa Chia Seed Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. organic honey (use 100% pure maple syrup to make vegan)
• ¼ cup organic brown rice syrup
• ½ cup raw almond butter - 28 grams protein, 16 grams fiber
• ½ cup dry quinoa (I used white, but you can use any variety)
• ½ cup chia seeds (I used black chia seeds, but any kind will work)
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
• ¼ tsp. pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cardamom
• 1 cup rolled oats (gluten free)
• ½ cup raw almonds; coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine quinoa, chia seeds, flax seed, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, cardamom and chopped raw almonds. Stir to combine.
3. In a small, microwave-safe dish, combine raw almond butter, organic brown rice syrup and honey. Stir to mix, then microwave for 1 minute to soften.
4. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a plastic spatula to thoroughly mix. Wet ingredients may begin to firm up, in which case you will need to use clean hands to knead the mixture together.
5. When finished, transfer your mixture to a parchment lined baking dish (I used an 8 x 8 glass Pyrex dish), and pat down mixture with a plastic spatula to make a single, even layer.
6. Bake on middle rack of oven for 15 minutes.
7. When finished, remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
8. After ten minutes, remove bars from the pan by lifting up the sides of the parchment paper. Place bars on a wire rack to finish cooling.
9. Cut finished bars with a sharp, non-serrated knife or pizza cutter 4 times horizontally and 4 times vertically to create 8 bars total.
10. Wrap cooled bars in saran wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.