No Bake Protein Bar ... Mix

My New Hope Blogger Box contained No Bake and Easy to Make Vegan Protein Bar Mix by Creation Nation.

This product is delightful! 

Creation Nation PB & Jelly Get In My Belly Mix is FREE FROM :

• GLUTEN
• SOY
• DAIRY

Creation Nation PB & Jelly Get In My Belly Mix has VARIATIONS:

The package provides you with suggestions to make the base recipe or to make it sweeter or reduce the sweetness. As you know, I love recipes that can be customized so this was definitely the FIRST THING I MADE when I opened my blogger box. This is in my wheel house!

I added almond milk, Sunbutter (Natural), and honey following the original recipe.  I sprayed a glass storage container and refrigerated the bars after I made them. I cut the bars and served after 10 minutes and they held together well.

I cannot wait to try to make this by adding bananas as the package also suggests ... as well as adding a few other variations!

No Bake Date Bars Featuring Chocolate Superfood Protein

Cooking is a creative process for me; it is my art! I love to try new recipes or modify tried-and-true recipes with a new product that I have encountered. Today I modified my NoBakeDateDelight ENERGY BARS and added SUPERFOOD PROTEIN! The result was a batch of bars that I could not keep in the refrigerator for more than a day! They flew off the shelf! I WILL MAKE THIS VERSION AGAIN!!!

Base Recipe:

• 2 cups pitted dates (I get mine from Futterman Farms)
• 1 cup nuts of choice (I used cashew this time)
• 1 cup oats (I use gluten free)
• 1 scoop Ground Based Nutrition Superfood Protein - Chocolate Flavor
• 1/3 cup pepitas to garnish top - optional
• 1 tsp flavoring - I used vanilla in this recipe. Almond pairs well with dates too.

Instructions:

• Blend the dates, nuts, oats, and protein in a Vitamix until combined. You can leave it a bit chunky for more texture in your bars or blend until smooth. 
• NOTE: I suggest you add the dates 1/4 at a time. The moister the dates are, the greater he chance the mixture will turn into a paste and stop the Vitamix. If this does happen, take a spatula and break up the dense mixture and start again. 
• When combined to your liking, press into a glass dish and garnish. 
• Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
• Cut into bars and enjoy!
•  

No Bake Cookie Balls

I love baking but do not always like to heat the house as the temperatures increase. I also sometimes find myself in a bind and do not have enough oven space for baking while I am making the REAL food for a dinner gathering at my home. I get around this predicament by making NO BAKE TREATS!

No Bake Cookie Balls are blank slates that can be customized. Options will be noted with the ingredients. The Cookie Balls last a week stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container ... if they last that long!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Don't Go Nuts Roasted Chocolate Soybean Spread (or nut butter/soy butter/seed butter of your choice)
• 4 tbsp butter or coconut butter softened 
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla (coconut)
• 1/2 cup gluten free four (I used a 1-1 blend ... you could swap flours but may need to adjust moisture)

Instructions:

• In a stand up mixer, mix the soy/nut/seed butter and butter until they are creamy
• Add sugar and flavoring 
• Add gluten free flour
• Form into small balls and refrigerate for about 30 minutes

OPTION:
Indent a thumbprint in the top of the ball
After they chill to "set" you can serve with fresh fruit, jam, soy/nut/seed butter, or candy in the imprint

NOTE: 
They seem very soft when forming and refrigerating
They are stiff when they first come out of the refrigerator and soften within a few minutes. 

Date Nut Brownies

I like NATURAL sugars. I once was the person who could polish off an entire bag of Twizzlers in one day. Today, I find processed sweets like that to be uninviting. Therefore, when I make something sweet, I wish it to have NATURAL sugars. There is sugar in the Nutella, only 4 TBSP for the entire batch...not too much.

A friend shared with me a recipe for No Bake Brownies. I decided to try it...but modified it just a bit. This recipe leaves several doors open for further modifications as well.

BASE RECIPE:
1 cup Almonds
3/4 cup Cashews
1/2 cup Pecans
1 cup Pitted Dates (I get mine from Futterman Farm)
1/2 cup Flax Seed Meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3 TBSP Cacao Powder (I used unsweetened)
1 TSP Almond flavoring
2 TBSP Nut Butter (I used NUTELLA but would substitute homemade nut butter in future to reduce sugar)

Put nuts in a food processor and grind till they are in small pieces. Add cacao, nut butter, almond flavoring, flax seed meal, and dates and pulse until incorporated.

Transfer ingredients to a glass dish (I used a glass storage container that was 8 X 4). Spray the back of a spatula with cooking spray and use it to press the mixture firmly into the dish. Refrigerate.

USE the same food processor to make a FROSTING...or omit this step and start the clean up. IF you omit the frosting...sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar and a few nuts on top for a pretty look. After all, we do eat with our EYES FIRST!

If you wish to make frosting...
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
2 TBSP Nut Butter (see note above)
1 TBSP Cacao
1 TSP Almond flavoring

SUBSTITUTIONS:
I used raw almonds...you can use roasted
Substitute hazelnuts or walnuts for pecans
Vanilla flavoring for almond flavoring
Substitute uncooked oats for flax seed meal
Add 1/2 cup gluten free protein powder to the base

Prep Time to Clean Up: If you make frosting 30 minutes, 20 minutes if you do not.

TIP: The first time you make these, perhaps make a 1/2 batch of frosting and frost half the brownies...try the other half with the powdered sugar or plain. See what you prefer.

TIP: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Serving: This is a great dish to take to a friend's house when invited for dinner. They can be served alone or with frozen yogurt or ice cream.

TIP: If you use nut butter and not Nutella (or a combination of both)and omit frosting these would be a great Luna Bar substitute.

I WILL make these several more times!

NoBakeDateDelights ENERGY BARS

I prefer to eat REAL FOOD rather than PACKAGED FOODS. Now that I have been eating gluten free, I have noticed that the ingredient list, for the most part, contains words that one can pronounce.

I prefer to make granola "type" bars and take them with me, rather than a box of packaged bars. YES, I do keep packaged bars on hand as one cannot always have homemade ones on hand! When I purchase bars, I try to purchase KIND Gluten Free granola bars or Lara Bars that are gluten free.



My DATE DELIGHTS are similar in texture to a Lara Bar. They are made with VERY FEW ingredients and take VERY LITTLE time. Like the other recipes on my blog, they can be made with many variations.

BASE RECIPE:
1 cup dates (pitted)
1 cup oatmeal (uncooked)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp nut butter of choice (I prefer homemade)
1 cup nuts (of choice ... pictured I have 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews and 1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts)

Directions:
Add above ingredients (except oats) to food processor and pulse till a paste forms. The consistency will vary based on the dates. Slowly add the oats to loosen up the ball that will form in the food processor. You may not need to add the full cup if the dates were dry. You may need more oats if the dates were very moist.

Transfer to a dish, flatten (I use a spatula sprayed with olive oil spray so mixture will not stick), cover, and refrigerate. After 30 minutes or so (I usually make at night and they are ready in the AM) you can cut to desired size and serve.

Options to Add:
Flax Seed Meal
Coconut + diced, dried berry of choice (cheery, blueberry, strawberry)
Sesame Seeds + diced crystallized Ginger
Shredded Chocolate/Chocolate chips

PB Protein Bites

I LOVE these! All food should be this fun! Finger food that is good for you and tastes so good you WANT to lick your fingers! These PB Protein Bites can be made as small or large as you wish. The stir-ins can fit your personality, the special occasion, or your dietary needs.

Base Recipe Ingredients:
1 Cup Oatmeal (DRY)
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal
1/3 cup Honey (or sugar) (substitute Maple Syrup to make VEGAN)
1 tsp Vanilla

I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats and Ground Flax Seed Meal

Optional stir-ins:
coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toffee pieces, dried fruit, protein powder, and cinnamon

Directions:
Add ingredients to a mixing bowl/electric mixer
Stir until incorporated
Roll into balls (size is up to you...I generally try for ping pong ball or golf ball size
Refrigerate in an airtight container for about 30 minutes

OPTIONS:
Use a different nut butter if you prefer or have a peanut allergy
Use agave instead of honey, reduce to 1/4 cup
Some store bought peanut butters have more sugar in them than others, if you wish to cut down on sugar, reduce the honey in half
Use homemade or natural nut butter in place of mass market "brands". Stay Tuned for my nut butter recipes!


Each time I have made this recipe I have made the BASE recipe and HALF way through making the balls, I add a stir-in or two so the batch has variety.

Perfect for an on the go snack! Can be used as a post game snack, mid day pick-me-up, or a desert!