Quinoa Chocolate Chip Bars

Inspired by recipe from Fantastic Food blog

I found a picture of quinoa bars on Pinterest. I liked the idea and decided to make a recipe of my own. Quinoa is considered a super food. Despite common belief, quinoa is not a grain; it is a seed. It comes from the same family as spinach and beats. Unlike rice, pastas and other grains, you do not need to limit how much quinoa you consume. It is very good for you.

I try to eat 4-5 mini meals a day so that I never get too hungry and over eat. I enjoy this style of eating, not only because it made me lose weight and gives me more energy, but also I get to eat more often through out the day. I look for healthy snacks to keep me going, which drove me to creating this recipe.

These quinoa bars are a low-calorie snack. As you can tell this recipe does not call for butter, oil or sugar. If you are wheat or gluten free, use almond flour. I like to add dark chocolate to them because sometimes I like a sweet snack during the day. You can also add nuts and/or dried fruit. The bars are not very sweet. If you would like them to be sweet, add more agave or drizzle honey on top of the finished product.

Makes 10 bars

-1 cup of flour (for gluten free use 1 cup of oat or corn flour or 3/4 cup soy or buckwheat flour)

-1 ½ cup of cooked quinoa -1/2 cup dry quinoa

-1/4 cup ground flaxseed

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-4 tablespoons Agave nectar

-1 large egg

-1 cup almond milk

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extra

-1/2 cup of 70% dark chocolate chips- use dried fruit or nuts if you’d like

Cook quinoa according to packaging instructions.

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.

In a large bowl, mix quinoa, flour, flaxseed and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mix agave nectar, milk, egg and vanilla. Slowly add wet mixture with dry. Once thoroughly mixed, add chocolate chips.

Pour batter into a greased baking pan. Bake for about 28 minutes or until fork comes out dry when inserted into the middle.