[Vegan] Dreamy Banana Date Bar

We have added another delicious nutrient dense snack to the weekly rotations! We forgot about our bananas [again] – cue this delish recipe. Patrick was a huge fan and was eating them faster than I could whip them up. My favorite part about this bar is (well 2 things). 1. THE TEXTURE- it is so amazing. I can’t even begin to describe, which is why you MUST try for yourself. We love that there are so many different textures in one bar- you’ve got the overripe bananas for smoothness, coconut flakes for crunch, dates for a little gooey-ness, and oats to keep it all together! Then to top it all off- a very thin layer of dark chocolate- YUM! 2. We love that the ingredients are simple + healthy.

Tip: We doubled this recipe because we had 4 overripe bananas, and LOVED how they came out on thicker side. Even though they look dense, they’re actually a bit on the lighter side! One bar is about 120 calories! Low in protein (about 3g) without added protein powder. We added a combination of whey + plant based protein powder!

Recipe from: Running On Real Food

ingredients

• 2.5 cups (275 g) quick oats
• 2 tbsp ground flax
• 1/3 cup (30 g) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 overripe bananas (200 g) sliced in half lengthwise then chopped up
• 5 medjool dates (68 g without pits), finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 packets stevia, optional, to taste
• Consider protein powder per preference (ours is unflavored- I think if you have flavored protein powder that might add a bit of a weird taste)
• Optional [topping]:
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder (use 4 tbsp of dairy free chocolate chips to keep it vegan)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

recipe for bars

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add the oats, flax, coconut and cinnamon to a bowl and stir to combine.
3. Mix in the vanilla and almond milk.
4. Fold in the chopped banana and dates. (Taste the dough and add a bit of stevia if you want them a little sweeter.)
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the bars from the oven, melt the chocolate if using and spread over the bars.
7. Let cool before slicing into 16 bars.
8. Store in the fridge- or in the freezer [We wrap one bar individually in tin foil and whip them out in the morning before work!]

recipe for chocolate topping

Melt the coconut oil then gently stir in the the cocoa powder and maple syrup. Spread the mixture over the bars once they come out of the over. This will harden into chocolate ganache after chilled in the fridge.

We hope you enjoy friends- we sure are!

-The Neilan Family-