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This is another of those recipes I’ve made to take with me to the mountains so that I have a delicious and healthy snack for when I’m hungry and need some energy. The plan was to put them in Sanitas incredible paper bags, keep them in my pocket and eat a bar of energy whenever I’m hungry. Unfortunately, it was so delicious that God didn’t plan on letting them reach the mountain. We devoured them on the very first day we arrived at the chalet. These bars are delicious and very easy to make as they don’t require baking, just 30 minutes in the refrigerator. The recipe is taken by Kimberly Parsons’s terrific book, The Yoga Kitchen, which I highly recommend. Apart from cocoa, which is particularly rich in magnesium and antioxidants, they also have a brave amount of maca, the superfood the Peruvians ate to increase their stamina before going to battle. If it worked for Peruvian warriors, it would probably be good for me at the mountain. Its crisp texture is owed to quinoa pops, which you can make at home if you’re up for it (recipe here) otherwise you can also replace them with oats. These bars have such a rich and enjoyable taste, that they seem more like chocolate than a cereal bar.
Ingredients (for about 12 pieces)
-1/2 cup of coconut oil
-1/2 cup of a sweetener of your choice (honey, pezyme, maple syrup or agave)
-1/2 cup raw cocoa powder
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 spoon of maca
-1 pinch of salt
-1 cup of quinoa pop or oat
-1/2 cup of finely chopped roasted hazelnuts
-1/4 cup of goji berries
-1/4 cup of peanuts
Preparation:
– Roast the hazelnuts in a pan for about 10 minutes until they get colourful
– Melt the coconut oil, add the sweetener and vanilla extract in a saucepan and stir
– Add the cocoa and maca and stir until the ingredients melt and become a delicate chocolate syrup
– Add the quinoa pops and stir well until they are covered with chocolate
– Cover a large container with parchment paper, and spread the chocolate mixture and quinoas in a layer about 3 cm thick
– Chop the hazelnuts, peanuts and goji berries
– Sprinkle the bar with the nuts and goji berries
– Freeze in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes
– Cut into pieces, preferably triangular.
– Keep in airtight packaging in the refrigerator