to go breakfast bars
I hiiiighly recommend Thug Kitchen, such a great cook book. It is all vegan, and to be honest we frequently add meat to one of the dishes - but even without meat it’s got some great meals! One of my favorites so far are these breakfast bars, and I love that they are so easily customizable! For the nuts/seeds/berries I just used a mixed trail assortment from Trader Joe’s (I don’t recommend using the ones with chocolate, it melts in the pan and creates a weird coating).
ingredients
2 cups oats
¾ cup uncooked quinoa
¼ cup uncooked millet
1¼ cup chopped nuts or seeds*
½ cup dried cranberries or cherries
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and line with parchment with excess to hang over the sides of the dish.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the oats, quinoa, and millet. Stir until they start to smell toasted, about 3 minutes.
Combine the nuts/seeds and cranberries/cherries in a large bowl. Add the toasted oats, quinoa, and millet and mix well.
In a small sauce pan, combine the syrup, peanut butter, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla and heat over medium heat. Whisk until smooth and heated through. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Use the backside of a spatula coating in nonstick cooking spray to firmly press the mixture to the sides and corners of the dish in an even layer.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature and transfer to the fridge. Allow to chill completely for 2-3 hours before cutting into bars.
