(For another raw vegan treat, check out my recipe for raw nectarine dream cookies!)

Oooooo! These are so good!

I just love the combination of orange and pistachio together! These bars are so soft and citrusy, they remind me a bit of lemon Larabars, and yet they’re totally different from any Larabar I’ve ever had.

Here’s what you’ll need for these little emerald gems:

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup raw pistachios
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tsp. agave nectar
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• zest and juice of a small orange such as a clementine or satsuma
• desiccated coconut for dusting

Start by pulverizing the nuts in a food processor…

Then add the chopped apricots…

Then grate over the orange zest and add the remaining ingredients…

Blitz it til it pulls away from the sides and looks fully incorporated…

So green!

Now you need to mold it into bars. I lined a loaf pan with wax paper to help pull the bars out with later and then poured some desiccated coconut in the bottom so they wouldn’t stick to that.

It took a while to press it all out flat in the pan, just keep working at it until you get it to reach the edges.

My loaf pan was just a bit too big so these didn’t quite make it all the way to one side. After spreading it out I topped it off with more coconut.

These should get popped in the freezer for a while to make them easier to cut. I chose to cut mine into little squares.

They are delicious! The bright orange flavor really stands out and contrasts with the earthy and slightly bitter green pistachio flavor. They taste so springy and fresh!

I’ve been keeping them in the fridge since they have orange juice in them that could go bad if left out. It also helps them to hold together better being that they’re very soft at room temperature. They are even more refreshing nice and cool right out of the fridge anyway.

Raw vegan orange pistachio bars

Bright citrusy orange zest accents these nutty raw pistachio bars.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Yield: about 10 squares

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup raw pistachios
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tsp. agave nectar
• 1 tsp. coconut oil
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds
• zest and juice of a small orange such as a clementine or satsuma

Cooking Directions

1. Pulverize nuts in food processor until very small.
2. Add all other ingredients and pulse to incorporate.
3. Press mixture into a wax paper lined baking dish with desiccated coconut.
4. Sprinkle more desiccated coconut on top and press in lightly.
5. Freeze until firm then turn out and cut into squares or bars.
6. Keep refrigerated.

What is your favorite snack bar/granola bar/protein bar?

March 8, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 20 comments

Mmmm, these are so good!

I wanted to make something that could be versatile for me. Something I could have for breakfast alone, or crumbled over oatmeal, as a not-too-sweet dessert, or something to grab as just a snack.

These carrot cake bars work perfectly. Subtly sweet and packed with healthy whole ingredients, they are a great choice anytime!

Carrot cake breakfast bars

A healthy breakfast bar with the flavors of carrot cake.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: About 6 bars

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup raw almonds
• 1 and 1/2 cups shredded carrot (not packed, squeezed of juice)
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of salt, nutmeg, and clove

Cooking Directions

1. Shred carrots then squeeze out excess liquid using cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
2. Run nuts through the food processor until pulverized.
3. Add all other ingredients to processor and pulse until fully incorporated.
4. Form mixture into a disc about and inch thick on a sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes.
6. Cut into wedges and top with vanilla yogurt or cream cheese if desired.

The center is so soft and chewy, but they hold together nicely like an oatmeal square.

These would be insane with the cinnamon cream cheese spread I made for my apple bars a while back.

What is your go-to snack?

February 7, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 8 comments

It is fair to say that I am officially obsessed with these.

Amber Shea of Almost Vegan came up with an amazing recipe for a raw blondie that is to die for! Somehow, it actually tastes baked although it’s completely raw.

You may check out the recipe and think, “Whatever, just another Larabar configuration,” but you’d be wrong. The mixture is drier than a Larabar, so it has a crumbly bread-like texture that really feels like a chewy blondie when you bite into it. The brown sugar gives it an unmistakable dessert-like quality, rather than a fruity energy bar. And the salt! I don’t know how but the salt really does the job of imitating a golden buttery baked good quite well.

I just made myself a stash of these to last me a while. I actually ran out of dates and subbed apricots for the version you see pictured, still insane but not as good as the original. I eat it directly out of the ramekin rather than plating it cause I just can’t wait.

I don’t follow a raw foods diet at all, but whenever I see a recipe like this that allows me to enjoy all the pleasures of a rich dessert while giving my body a dose of whole and healthy foods, I get excited.

OMG, make yourself one. You won’t be disappointed!

January 27, 2011 Alayna Discussion 10 comments