The sun is shining! I got to open the door to welcome breezes and beautiful silent visitors.
These are lovely, chewy, decadent bars for a special treat everyone loves after a busy day.
Goji berries are earthy, slightly astringent and mildly sweet. Known to be abundant in antioxidants, trace minerals, essential amino acids, Vitamin C, and beta-carotene. Amaranth has a sweet, nutty flavour and is exceptionally high in protein and calcium. Which makes these quite the ‘superfood bar’!
tips
- Popping amaranth seems challenging at first, so if you burn your first batch, which I did, you get the hang of it. It’s easy and fun. Once you get the temperature of the pan correct, the popping happens fast (in about 15 seconds). You need to remove the popped grain from the pot immediately to avoid burning.
- If popping your amaranth feels a little challenging, you can purchase it already popped or puffed, or if amaranth is hard to find, replace it with popped quinoa.
- The goji berries can be replaced with dried raspberries, sultanas, or any dried fruit of choice.
- Replace the carob with your favourite melted dark chocolate.
amaranth almond date bars with carob
makes 8 large rectangular bars or 16 squares
Inspiration & recipe slightly adapted from here.
ingredients
1 cup popped amaranth
100 grams pitted, soft Medjool dates (about five large dates)
1 Tbsp coconut oil – melted
½ cup home-made almond butter
pinch salt
zest from 1 large lemon
1½ tsp freshly grated ginger
2 Tbsp coconut flakes
3 Tbsp finely chopped almonds
3 Tbsp finely chopped dried goji berries plus 1 Tbsp (for garnishing)
1 Tbsp dried shredded coconut (for garnishing)
carob coating
2 Tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup carob powder
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla essence (optional)
prepare the amaranth
makes about 1 cup
¼ cup amaranth
- Warm a small heavy-bottomed pot with a lid over high heat for 2 minutes; add one tablespoon of amaranth and cover the pot immediately. Count 5 seconds and shake the pan; you will hear the grain popping rapidly. Shake again or until all the grains are popped. I could never get all the grains to pop, but this is no problem, as even the unpopped grains are crunchy. Quickly transfer to a bowl. Repeat with remaining amaranth, one tablespoon at a time. Set aside.
prepare the amaranth bars
- Line a 7-inch x 7-inch square dish with baking paper.
- Place the dates in a bowl and mash with a fork. If your dates are not soft, soak them in water for a few minutes, then drain well and proceed to mash. Add coconut oil, almond butter, salt, lemon zest, ginger and coconut flakes. Mix well, pushing down with the back of a fork, until combined.
- Add the amaranth, chopped almonds and 2 tablespoons of dried goji berries, incorporating everything evenly. The mixture may seem dry, but this is fine as it will be packed tightly in the dish.
- Press the mixture very tightly into the lined dish using your hands or the back of a spoon, until completely even and flat. Place in the fridge while preparing the carob coating.
prepare the carob coating
- Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan, then turn off the heat. Add the maple syrup and carob powder—whisk until smooth, then stir in the vanilla essence—set aside.
- Using a spatula, spread the carob coating evenly over the bars. Sprinkle with the remaining dried goji berries and shredded coconut.
- Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, until cold and firm. Using a sharp knife, cut into bite-sized squares or rectangular bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. The bars will keep up to 2 weeks, probably longer if they last that long.
Goodness shared from Stacey
