Vegan and gluten free oats bars”- Naturally sweetened and perfect as an on-the-go snack

I believe “Cooking is love made edible”.
I loved to cook, spending hours in the kitchen using authentic, fresh ingredients, and preparing everything from scratch. Today, I did some experiment with different grains,nuts, and textures and here is the outcome.

Cruncy yummilicous!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw almonds, walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds (roasted or raw)
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds (ground or whole)
• 8-10 dates (pitted) or figs-–soaked in warm water
• ¼ cup Raisins/cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a flat pan. Toast oats until slightly golden brown.
2. Take them out and toast rest of the seeds. Flax seeds pop up fast, so be careful.
3. Process the soaked dates or figs in a food blender until smooth. It should form a dough like consistency.
4. Place oats, almonds, rest of the grains,nuts, dry fruits in a large mixing bowl.
5. Pour the dates paste and mix with your hands to mix thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Transfer to baking tray 8×8 and line in parchment paper so the big bar lift out easily or use whatever you readily have at home.
7. Press down with something flat, spatula or a small chopping board to get them really packed tight.
8. Bake at 300 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
9. Remove baking tray from oven.
10. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into bars or squares. You can cut with cookie cutter for desired shapes

Loved the crunch and the nuttiness!!!I will be adding more variations and keep updating other healthy bars. Stay tuned!!!