Friday, February 4, 2011

Fun Food Friday - Make Your Own Lara Bars

We're a big fan of Lara Bars around here, so when I came across a recipe for a raw, vegan lemon bar a while back, I couldn't wait to try it. They were such a hit I came up with a chocolate variation as well, and both have been a staple in our house ever since.

As you can see if the photo, I rolled them into bite-sized balls instead of bars and covered them in coconut. I'm always looking for ways to get the kids to eat more nuts, and these tasty treats are definitely a winner! They're great as desserts or even for snacks on the go and while traveling.

The lemon recipe is in the link, but I'll post the chocolate one here.

Raw Chocolate Bites 

Ingredients
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup shredded dried coconut, unsweetened (plus extra for rolling)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup dates (8-12 soft medjool)
2-3 tablespoons of agave nectar

Preparation
In a food processor, combine almonds, cashews, coconut and cocoa powder until crushed into medium crumbs. Add dates, and process again. Add agave nectar until the mixture comes together and begins to make a ball against the sides. Roll into walnut-sized balls, and roll in coconut to coat. Enjoy!

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 4.5 sprouts

4 comments:

  1. Hi there Jessica! My name is Jane & I just found your blog via another fav blog of mine (Bankrupt Vegan). I got a question for you about this recipe. Just where the heck are you finding unsweetened coconut at? Sweetened I can find. Unsweetened not so much. Are you getting it at a certain store? Online? Fess up the details sister!

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  2. Saved! Great recipe. Have you ever used stevia/natural sweeteners over agave? I hear agave has a tonne of fructose in it.

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  3. Hi Jane. So glad you are here! My Whole Foods carries the unsweetened coconut - both in a package and in the bulk bins. I don't shop there too often, but fortunately, one bag of the coconut will last me a while.

    Erin, I haven't used stevia much at all. I know that some people are anti-agave, but I still think that organic agave is fine - especially since we don't use sweetener too often. If you try it with something else, I'd love to hear about it! :)

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