apricot {chickpea} energy bars

The main ingredient in these bars is the humble (and perhaps overused on this blog) chickpea. Mashed chickpeas, with a spice or two. Not too dissimilar from hummus.. We’ll call them hummus energy bars shall we?

These are vegan. Not so much for anti-egg-eating reasons, but because they aren’t cooked. So we replace the eggs (which binds) with flax seeds (the vegan alternative). Because if you’re pregnant (negative) or elderly (negative) apparently you should avoid uncooked eggs. I must say, I think we go a little overboard by applying that rule to the general population. I’m halfway through French Women Don’t Get Fat (fantastic read by the way) and hugely enjoying learning about the dishes most of us would run a mile from, like uncooked souffle and mousse (both containing raw egg). Perhaps we are missing out by insisting our eggs must always be cooked?

Hummus energy bars. Enjoy :)

Apricot Chickpea Energy Bars
Yield: Supposedly 24 bars. Ha, maybe 16 at the most. But more like 12.

The original recipe for these says to bake the soft chickpeas with the cinnamon and sugar (or sucanut, bleh) for 20 minutes prior to mashing them with the remaining ingredients. I did this the first time I baked these but have concluded the extra effort isn’t worth it in outcome – these turned out just as delicious, AND you’re 20 minutes closer to enjoying these! They are called energy bars because they give you energy, so get out and use it!

1 heaping tablespoon ground flax seeds
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if from a can)
1 tablespoon molasses
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
dash salt (if using unsalted peanut butter and unsalted chickpeas)
1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter (or any nut/seed butter)
1/4 cup agave nectar (or honey, maple syrup)
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup puffed kamut (puffed rice will work)
3/4 cup dried fruit, chopped (I like apricots)
1/2 toasted nuts, chopped

Combine flax with water, let stand to thicken.

Into the bowl of a food processor, place chickpeas, molasses, cinnamon, salt, peanut butter, agave, oil, and flax mixture. Whizz until pureed (a little bit of texture is good). Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add oats, puffed kamut, dried fruits, and nuts. Mix well.

Press the mixture into an 8-inch brownie pan lined with wax (or parchment) paper. Press down hard. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours before slicing. Or place in the freezer and enjoy a slice much sooner.

These keep best in the fridge as they crumble when warm. I store mine in the freezer, removing a slice before work to enjoy mid morning.

About these ads