Energy Quinoa Protein Bars

Energy Quinoa Protein Bars

I have been wanting to experiment with baking with quinoa. To ease into it, I baked protein bars with cooked quinoa. This grain-like seed has been gaining some popularity in recent years and apparently it was what the Incas ate back in the day :) Although it cooks and tastes like a grain, quinoa is closely related to spinach and beets. It is a superb source of protein. So naturally, I had to add it to one of my protein recipes.

I decided to go with bars vs muffins this time, although if you prefer the muffin form, you can certainly stick with that.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of  oatmeal flour (grind oats in blender)
• 1/2 cup of buckwheat flour (grind buckwheat in blender)
• 4 egg whites 
• 1/3 cup of almond butter
• 2 heaping scoops of chocolate protein powder 
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil (melted)
• 7-8 tbs unsweetened cacao powder 
• 1/2 cup of almond milk (you could also use coconut milk) 
• 2 ts of liquid stevia (you can add more if you like it sweeter)  
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 ts baking soda 
• 1/2 ts baking powder 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to sprinkle on top

 Mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then blend them together until you get the right (cake batter) consistency...Feel free to add more almond milk if you feel like the mixture is too thick...whatever gets you to the right consistency. Spray some olive oil on your baking pan and then pour the batter. Top it off with the chopped walnuts. Bake for 20-25mins at 350 degrees. Enjoy! 

P.S.: Love these as a pre-workout snack. They will fuel your workout and keep you satisfied and full for a long time. :)