Friday

Fruit Nut oatmeal bar

As i had mentioned earlier..i am trying to eat healthier and all of us know when the mid-afternoon hunger strikes..many of us venture to places ( vending machines....coffee shops..kitchen) to fill up on food you feel like kicking ur behind for later ;)..i made this bar as i can carry a couple in my purse and eat it when i want. i have been eating this for breakfast too as i am always running late and need something to eat as i drive...if i may say so...in crazy speeds ;)

I got this recipe from 'the vegetarian times' but as usual they have used eggs and i do not eat eggs...so I pretty much did my own thing and added and subbed what i wanted and it turned out pretty good. My only bone of contention is the pic of the bar the magazine is lovely...tight neat bar with all the nuts and chocolates peeking out...mine looks hideous :D..tastes good tho :D



Ingredients:

Rolled Oats: 2 1/2 cups
Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
Baking Soda: 1 tsp.
Salt: 1/2 tsp.
Baking powder: 1/2 tsp.
Dried cherries: 1/2 cup
Dates: 1/2 cup
Dried Apricots: 1/2 cup
Walnuts: 1/2 cup
Brown sugar: 1 cup
Molasses: 1/2 cup
Oil: 1/4 cup
Soy milk: 1/2 cup
Flax meal: 2 tbls

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Whisk the flax meal and soy milk till frothy.

3. Mix all the other ingredients in a big bowl and add the above soy-flax mix well.

4. Take a 9*13 baking pan..line it with parchment paper and add the above batter.

5. bake for 30-35 mts till a toothpick when inserted comes out clean.

6. The bars are a little soft and chewy....i cut these into 24 pcs (6 columns and 4 rows) and wrapped each piece in cling-wrap so that they are portable.

Calories per bar is 165.

Notes:

1. You can use any combo of nuts..in hindsight i felt i should have added some almonds too...

2. Use of parchment paper ensure that the bars do not stick to the pan and you do not have to use any cooking oil...but if you do not have parchment paper..try alluminium foil...i think greasing the pan will still not ensure all hte bars coming our ;)

3. The original recipe called for maple syrup..i think that would have given the bars a lovely color..so use honey or maple syrup for a lighter colored bar and perhaps light brown sugar too.

This is off to the mom and daughter team who blog at the the 'yum' blog who are hosting the AFAM - dry fruits...

26 comments:

Raks said...

Lovely entry for the event rajitha!

FH said...

Makes a great breakfast!!:))

amna said...

that does seem healthy.and its not at all hideous. so dont worry!

SMN said...

Luks great and yummy..

EC said...

This is really healthy .... nice idea

TBC said...

I'm trying to eat healthier too... but that's all it is...just trying:-(
Just yest we had our office Christmas party & I shamelessly ate till I was stuffed. Felt so bad later... oh well, there's always next year for dieting, I guess:)
You've used whole wheat flour... I recently made banana-peach muffins and used whole wheat flour instead of APF. It was simply awful!:-(. I'm off whole wheat flour for a bit now.

Mishmash ! said...

thats sure one healthy snack...btw, i dont see anything wrong with the pic :)

Shn

Lata said...

Same problem with me. I get hungry and I don't like to eat anything from Vending machine, plus I don't eat eggs. I will definitely try this over the weekend and make some bars at home instead of buying some out. Thanks for the recipe.

Namratha said...

Na na, not hideous in the least!!! I make all the excess calories stuff and u balance it well with the healthy ones...way to go dear! :) Looks nice, but too healthy for me :P

Kumudha said...

Fruit bar looks so delicious and it's so nutritious!

I also like Mjadra...

Thanks for so many great recipes, Rajitha

Laavanya said...

That's one nutritious bar Rajitha and so convenient too. Eating something at the spur of the moment and regretting later that night is something of a daily occurrence these days!! Bookmarked this to try. what are your plans for the xmas vacations? We cancelled our travel plans since my daughter is sick again. Am thinking of doing some crafts etc. with her and catch up on a whole load of things I want to do... :)

Sig said...

Hey yours doesn't look hideous, it doesn't look like a regular oatbar, but yummier, like a piece of chocolate cake :). Happy Holidays to you and Jeeves... I have been meaning to send you a mail for a while, but you know how lazy I get.... ;)

Finla said...

You are really correct, when ever i feel hungry or just say greedy i go to the kitchen and eat the cookies or sweets which i know is not healthy .
Your bars look really healthy.

sra said...

this one is full of substance, so who cares what it looks like?

Nupur said...

That most certainly does not look hideous! Still have not tried my hand at oatmeal/granola bars...but I'll have to keep your recipe in mind.

Suganya said...

I think I should post mine too, before it becomes too old. I have done a similar thing too :D

Seena said...

Good one Rajitha,mm, healthy and yummy..

Sagari said...

thats a yummy and lovely looking bars looks deleciousss

amna said...

thank you so much for the comment on my photo :) i have been putting in extra efforts on pics these days. so encouragement really helps!

Bharathy said...

Thatz a scrumptious piece!..and you are done with the AFAM!..I have yet to decide mine :)..
Merry christmas and a happy new year,Rajitha :)

Richa said...

good job on the bar, sweetie! i like the dark rich color :)

Anonymous said...

that looks wholesome and delicious.

Purnima said...

Hi Rajitha..
Those oatmeal bars are terrific! Tks for passing by my blog..try any dosa of your choice..you will surely relish them!TC..

Cynthia said...

Ah this will last you way beyond lunch.

Happy Holidays!

Anonymous said...

Nice entry for the event...the pic looks inviting

Rajitha said...

raks - thnks..

asha - yes it does :)

nags- u are too sweet

smn - it was!!

easy - thanks :)


tbc - whole wheat is tricky..if batter is the main star..then it should be ombined with all-purpose..in this recipe it is just a binder!!

mishmash - u are too kind :)

CC- will visit urs for sure..thnks for dropping by :)

lata - i love chips and all that crap..serious..i have stopped carrying change and dollar bills ;)

namratha - ha ha..wish i could be bindaas on calories ;)

kumudha - thnks :)

laav- oo :(..hope kutti paapa feels better soon...i am planning to rest my behind on the couch adn watch tons of tv ;)

sig - one lazy bum to another...i get it ;)..actually sig the next time i made i added some choc chips it was even better!!

happy cook - i swear!! i see apples and cookies and i eat the cookies adn dream of making the apples to muffins ;)

sra - a girl who thinks like me..bhaad me jaye on the looks :D

nupur - i got fed up eating mini bars with tons of calories ;)

suganya - waiting to see ur recipe :)

seena - thnks :)

sagari - thnks :)

nags - my pleasure..it is nice to get appreciated when hardwork is put in ...and it shows in urs :)

bharathy - u are done with the chocolates girl!! we both have only one thing down!!

richa - thnks honey....how are u spending ur holidays ? :)

click - thnks!!

purnima - thnks for visiting mine :)..i am planning on the avocado dosa..will let u know how it comes out...

cyn - for a pig i am...i gobble my lunch like i have never seen food :D

bhags - thanks :)