Journey, Feast, and Live

It’s been an interesting time with February rolling in, here in Stuttgart, the weather always leaves you wondering what will come next.  For instance, take last Sunday, I was sitting here in my living room, look outside and there are nice fat snowflakes.  I should probably mention a few days before if I wanted, a nice light jacket could’ve been worn.  That’s just the weather you come to expect here.  Can’t say I’ll ever get used to it, but it’s not something that going to stop me from really being active.  I mean it’s just a little random weather, right?

Other than the random flurries along with the seesaw of temperatures, an excellent bright side is the fact it’s staying brighter a little while longer.  Everyone knows what that means?  Cold temperatures are leaving, and longer days are on the horizon.  However, we still have some colder days coming, which means you will probably want something that’s going to warm you up.  Carrot and banana bars anyone?

These bars have a lot going for them.  They are gluten-free and vegetarian, not to mention they have all of those good things, we all love.  One of those flavors being peanut butter.  Now you have a peanut allergy, then you can definitely sub it out with another nut/seed butter without a problem.  Now this recipe uses a fun technique, but you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.  If you have a spiralizer, get it out and spiralize those carrots!  You will want to make sure you are cutting the carrots here or there.  Long strands of carrots look cool but can be a little problematic, when eating, or that might just be me.

If you don’t have a spiralizer, don’t worry, just get out the box grater, a shredder or whatever, and get at it that way.  Lastly, you have honey as a sweetener, but no other refined sweetener, that’s right none of that white sugar, which means these bars are good for you all the way around.  Eat them for breakfast, as a snack, or even dessert.  You name it, it’ll work great for it.

Give these bars a try, you won’t be sorry that you did!

Carrot and Banana Bars (adapted from Spiralize Everyday)

Tasty Carrot and Banana Bars

Wholesome baked bars with spiralized carrot, overripe bananas, peanut butter, honey, raisins, and gluten-free oats.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 10 bars

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter smooth or crunchy
• 2 medium to large carrots
• 3 overripe bananas
• 1 cup raisins 7 oz / 200 g
• 3 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats 10 oz / 300 g

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and set aside.
2. Place the honey, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring until the mixture is completely melted.
3. Meanwhile, spiralize the carrots with a spaghetti-size blade (1/8 inch, 3 mm), roughly cutting any long spirals in half. Alternatively, grate the carrots.
4. In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Stir in the carrots, raisins, and oats. Pour the peanut butter mixture over everything and combine.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and set. Cool in the pan, then slice into 10 to 12 bars.

Notes

For short-term storage, keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. For longer storage, wrap individually and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze — thaw in the refrigerator and warm for about 30 seconds before enjoying.