Oatmeal Bars: The Beginnings of a Beautiful Breakfast

After perfecting my oatmeal breakfast bars, you can say I’ve become quite fanatic about them. They’re great because I’ve essentially made breakfast for the majority of the week, and it is so fun pairing different ingredients and switching  up the binders (i.e., egg, applesauce, banana, nut butter, etc.). I’ve also tried using different grains along with the rolled oats, particularly buckwheat and steel cut oats, but I wasn’t too keen on the texture. I like them soft, not crunchy. Oh, and toasted... (almost) everything is delicious toasted.

I aim to make them as balanced in nutrition as possible, little hand-held meals if you will. As I get more creative in making them, I plan on incorporating savory ingredients, maybe one that only has vegetables in it. Carrot has been my favorite vegetable for my oatmeal bars, and I enjoyed this recipe immensely while camping.

Vegan Carrot Tahini Oatmeal Bars

160 g Rolled oats
15 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
64 g Tahini
4 (162 g) Carrots, shredded
104 g Dried currants
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Ground ginger
Stevia, to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the rolled oats and cider vinegar, add enough filtered water to cover at least an inch or two higher, and let it soak for eight hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the water from the oats and rinse thoroughly before returning to the bowl.
Fold in the remaining ingredients into the oats, and pour the mixture in an 8x8” pan lined with parchment paper and spread it out evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes to one hour or until golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheet (parchment paper = easy lifting) and cut it into the number of square bites or bars to your preference.
Serve warm and toasted.

Makes 4 – 8 bars, or 4 servings.

It certainly got the job done in keeping me full until lunch time (paired with a Granny Smith and a dollop of almond butter, of course), but I wanted to play around with using egg as a binder, making it nut free (if you don’t use the shredded coconut as garnish) as a result. This one was my favorite of the two.

Nut-free Carrot Mesquite Oatmeal Bars

160 g Rolled oats
15 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar
1 Large egg
45 g Unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. Sea salt
1 tbsp. (10 g) Mesquite powder
15 g Cacao nibs
4 Carrots, shredded or finely chopped
Shredded coconut, as garnish (optional)

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the rolled oats and cider vinegar, add enough filtered water to cover at least an inch or two higher, and let it soak for eight hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Drain the water from the oats and rinse thoroughly before returning to the bowl.
Fold in the remaining ingredients into the oats, and pour the mixture in an 8x8” pan lined with parchment paper and spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle the shredded coconut and lightly press it into the bar (omit if you are allergic and/or want to keep this nut-free).
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheet (parchment paper = easy lifting) and cut it into the number of square bites or bars to your preference.
Serve warm and toasted.

Makes 4 – 8 bars, or 4 servings.