I have been making large batches of these granola bars, and storing them in the fridge (or freezer for raw treats after the baby comes)! You start by sprouting and dehydrating raw buckwheat groats. I buy them in bulk from a local amish bulk foods store, but you can find them also at Whole Foods Co-ops and other places as well. They take about 2 days to sprout, depending on how warm your kitchen is. They take a little longer to rinse than wheat berries, since they are more mucilaginous (meaning they have a thicker,run-off when rinsing then other some seeds and nuts do). I talk about the sprouting of wheat berries here, and the process is basically the same, other than more thorough rinsing for these, and the sprouting time can vary. I used around 4 cups for this recipe.
-You can substitute any kind of nut butter--today I used peanut butter. I used around 1/4 to 1/2 cup, I believe.
- I like a little tahini, but my kids are not huge fans of it, which is why I also added peanut butter. Try 1/4 -1/2 cup as well. You'll have to play with this a little till, you get a good consistency.
-Added 3/4 cup of golden flax. You could also grind some if you like. When not ground, (I grind them in a coffee grinder), they act like a stiff broom to help clean out your colon.
-Raw honey to help bind everything together and sweeten...full of enzymes and anti-oxidants! I used between 1-1 1/2 cups.
-Added around 1/2 cup of dried cherries, as well as the same amount of chocolate chips. You could use any dried fruit such as raisins, dates, or apricots. Also, you could add nuts or seeds such as sesame or sunflower. Use what you have on hand, to keep this frugal and easy for you! Make your own style of bar, give it a great name, and I'm sure your family will love it!
-When the consistency seemed right, (you may need to add more honey or nut butter if it seems to dry and crumbly), I pressed it into a 9 x 13 pan. Then, I placed it into the fridge to harden just a bit.
-When they were nice and cool, I cut them into little squares and wrapped them individually to make them more like "store bought" granola bars. I keep them in a container in the fridge, and that way anytime the desire strikes, we have healthy life-giving "granola bars" on hand.
This recipe was inspired by one in this uncookbook by Serene Allison. An uncookbook all about adding raw foods into your diet. I have used many of the recipes in this book, though we are not a 100% raw family, we have benefited much from the info, and incorporated it where we saw fit for our crazy bunch....
Here's to more healthy treats in our kitchens,
Joy
{This post is a part of The Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise Platter ; as well as Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist; Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade and Life as Mom.}
can you tell me why you sprout AND then dehydrate the groats?
thanks
Posted by: Anya | 03/11/2012 at 12:05 PM