Tropical Quinoa Protein Bars with White Chocolate
Calories 340 (39% from fat)
Fat 14.6 gram
Saturated Fat 7 gram
Trans Fat 0 gram
Chol. 4 mg.
Sodium 139 mg.
Carb. 54 gram
Fiber 8 gram
Sugar 9 gram
Sugar Alcohol 20 gram
Protein 8 gram
Ingredients
1/4 cup macadamia nuts, finely chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2/3 cup reduced-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup dried pineapple, finely chopped
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein powder
(We used Premier Protein Vanilla Protein Powder.)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup no sugar added white chocolate chips
(We used Lilys White Chocolate Style Baking Chips.)
Zest of 1 large lime
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1/3 cup sugar free honey
(We used HoneyTree's Sugar Free Imitation Honey.)
1 large egg white
We were told about this unusual protein bar made with quinoa and had to try it. The original version had 27 grams of sugar, which was far too high. But with a few modifications, we kept all the fantastic taste but brought it down to only 9 grams of sugar per bar.
Quinoa, pineapple, coconut and white chocolate. They go amazingly well together.
The original version can be found at faithfoodfitness.com and was made by Taylor Kiser.
1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with parchment paper; spray the paper lightly with buttery cooking spray. Set the pan aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Chop or crush the macadamia nuts and spread them on a baking sheet.
4. Spread the quinoa evenly out over the baking sheet.
5. Bake the macadamia nuts and quinoa for 9 minutes.
6. Put the quinoa and macadamia nuts into a large mixing bowl.
7. Spread the coconut flakes over the baking tray and bake in the 350-degree oven for 2-3 minutes until they are lightly brown. Be careful; coconut cooks fast.
8. Pour the coconut flakes into the mixing bowl.
9. Rinse the chickpeas, then put them on a paper towel to pat dry. Remove the skins from the chickpeas and discard the skins. If you press a chickpea between your fingers, the skin will slide off.
10. Mash the chickpeas, making them as soft as you can.
11. Put the mashed chickpeas, dried chopped pineapple, protein powder, salt, white chocolate chips and lime zest into the mixing bowl.
12. Stir everything together.
13. Combine the coconut oil and honey, then heat it in the microwave for about 1 minute until it starts bubbling.
14. Stir the honey mixture and the egg white into the bowl of quinoa. Mix well.
15. Pour the quinoa mixture into the prepared 8x8 baking pan and flatten it evenly. Reduce heat in the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for about 40-45 minutes. It's done as you start to see the top turn a golden brown.
16. Let it cool completely before cutting into 6 bars. Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yield: 6 Servings
You can freeze individual bars for long-term storage. Make sure they're tightly sealed inside freezer-safe containers or bags.
Microwave each bar for approximately 45 seconds. You can also leave it out at room temperature and it will be ready to eat in about an hour.