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Simple Soaked Series: Quinoa Bars

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These quinoa bars are a great alternative to granola bars. They are soaked and gluten, dairy, egg and nut free.

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Granola bars are so delicious! But not everyone can tolerate oats. Not to mention it’s good for everyone to have variety in their diet (help avoid those allergies!!).

So I came up with an oat free bar made with quinoa. This is another simple, soaked bar that kids love.

First the quinoa is soaked. Then it is cooked. Then mix and bake the bars. Each step takes very little hands on time. 

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I actually made two versions of quinoa bars. One with and one without coconut oil. In the end I liked them somewhere in the middle! There is a little bit of coconut oil to help bind the bars. But not so much that they are oily when you hold them.

Simple Soaked Series: Quinoa Bars | Just Take A Bite

No refrigeration.

So they are not as easy to eat on the go like the crunchy granola bars.  But you can always pack them in a mini cooler. I would even pack them in my daughter’s lunch box since it has a cooler.

The texture of the quinoa bars is great for  young children since they are so soft. They are also gluten, dairy, egg, nut and corn free. So they are suitable even for one year olds and those with allergies. I love having them on hand for an easy addition to lunches for my little ones still at home.

Great for nursing mamas.

Quinoa is great for boosting milk supply. So make a big batch and stock your freezer. Snack on one every day to keep your milk supply up.

Quinoa bars really pack a punch with nutrition from the flax seeds, quinoa and coconut oil. They have protein, starch and lots of healthy fat!

Are you getting sick of granola bars? Switch it up and try quinoa bars. 

Simple Soaked Quinoa Bars Just |Take A Bite

Simple Soaked Series: Quinoa Granola Bars
Yields 20
An oat free granola bar made with soaked quinoa.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup quiona
  2. 3 cups warm water + 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, whey, kefir or yogurt
  3. 3 cups water
  4. 1/2 cup ground flax seeds
  5. 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  6. 3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or butter
  7. 1 cup coconut sugar
  8. 1/2 tsp. unrefined sea salt
  9. 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit, nuts, seeds and/or chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Combine the quiona, water and lemon juice.
  2. Let sit 24 hours.
  3. Drain and rinse the quiona.
  4. In a medium saucepan combine the quinoa and 3 cups of water.
  5. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
  6. Turn off heat. Let quinoa sit for 15 minutes, covered.
  7. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl. Let sit 15 minutes.
  8. Heat the oven to 350*F. Grease a 9x13 pan.
  9. Add the flax seed and coconut to the cooked quinoa.
  10. Let sit 5 minutes for the flax seeds to absorb liquid.
  11. Add the remaining ingredients.
  12. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.
  13. Bake for 70 minutes.
  14. Let cool 5 minutes.
  15. Cut into bars.
  16. Place the bars upside down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  17. Return to the oven and bake 30 minutes.
  18. Let cool completely. Refrigerate to solidify.
  19. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for long term storage.
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15 comments

  1. Rachel says:

    Just curious….why is the cooking time so long for the quinoa? Is there a specific reason why this recipe would require an hour to cook after soaking? Quinoa cooks in 15 minutes. An hour seems excessive? Thank you.

    • Mary says:

      Although not “necessary” the long cooking time helps make the quinoa softer and easier to digest. Quinoa that is traditionally prepared is cooked longer than 15 minutes.

    • Mary says:

      I did experiment with dehydrating them! But they were taking a LONG time and not doing much. So I tried the oven instead and it worked better. You could use the dehydrator, but they will have to dry for a really long time.

  2. carla says:

    I just bought some quinoa at the store yesterday so I could make these. It’s not something I typically cook with and I bought it in bulk. When comparing a variety of quinoa options, the red was higher in fiber (31 carbs, 6.4 fiber vs 3g fiber in the others) so I chose it over the others. Will see if red bars are appealing or a turn off but I couldn’t pass up on the higher fiber and am not sure the reason it was more so than the other color options? Just wondered if you had any insight into the different colors 🙂

    • Mary says:

      I’m not really sure. I don’t use quinoa much myself. I’ve only ever used the regular kind. And I don’t really tolerate much fiber/don’t think we need to overdo on it. So I opt for the lower fiber one 🙂

  3. Annette says:

    Are they pretty sweet. I’m trying to cut down on refined sugar and fructose. Do you think I could use some rice malt syrup and done banana instead?

    • Mary says:

      I’ve never used rice malt syrup, so I’m not really sure. My guess is that would work. Using banana would obviously give it a banana flavor. But it would probably work.

  4. Elena says:

    I really like this recipe! What did you put in it in the picture? dried apricots and raisins? and if those are apricots where did you get them? I was looking for dry apricots at whole foods today and could not find.
    Thank you for sharing this!

  5. Elena says:

    Thanks, Mary! I am on elimination diet and love these bars! wonder if I can use soaked oats sometimes instead..

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