Welcome to day 5 of the 31 Days of Homemade Halloween series in which I am grateful to be participating. If you don’t subscribe to my newsletter or follow me on Facebook, you might have missed this news.
I am working together with five other UhMaaaZing bloggers to bring you a new post each day that will help get you into the fall &/or Halloween spirit. In fact, we have a Pinterest board with all of these great DIY projects, recipes, and more. We’d love for you to follow along, so be sure to click the black banner and ‘follow’ our collaborative board.
Today, I am stoked to bring you a recipe for some lovely little pumpkin breakfast (or other parts of the day!) bars. These aren’t just any old pumpkin bars though…oh no. These are nutritious soaked pumpkin bars. Why soaked? Read all about the importance of soaking nuts and grains here and learn how to do it below in this recipe.
Actually, let’s just go ahead and get right to that recipe now, whaddaya say!?
Soaked Oats, Nuts, & Pumpkin Bars
Ingredients:
- 1.5 C soaked whole, rolled oats– like this (soaking method detailed below)
- 1/2 C soaked nuts (I use soaked sunflower seeds)
- 1/2 C kefir– buy raw kefir or make your own
- 2/3 C finely shredded coconut– like this
- 1/3 C pumpkin puree (make your own or I like to buy this)
- Room temperature H2O (just enough to cover oats…keep reading for details)
- 1/2 C rice syrup, organic, non-GMO- like this
- 1/2 t cinnamon– like this
- 1/4 t sea salt– like this
How To Make Them:
The night before you make these you’ll need to soak your oats and nuts…
- Before you go to bed, simply pour your oats & nuts into a bowl (a wider, rather than taller, bowel) and cover them with kefir.
- Mix and add salt.
- Mix and add just enough H2O to reach the top of where the oats & nuts are.
- Mix and cover lightly with cheesecloth, a light dishtowel, paper towel, etc. It needs to be breathable, but cover completely. (I use cheesecloth all of the time, like this, so it’s good to have some on hand).
- Place your covered bowl in the oven. DO NOT turn your oven on! Just turn on the oven light and leave them there until the morning. Okay…now go to bed.
Good morning! Let’s make these bars!
- Set the oven at 350.
- Turn bowl over and let your your soaked oats & nuts fall into your cheesecloth (dishcloth, etc), which should be over the sink.
- Squeeze as much liquid out as you can. This step is crucial, as you need to remove as much liquid as possible so you do not have soggy bars!
- Now, (here’s where things get super easy) simply deposit your oats and nuts into a large bowl and include all other ingredients.
- Thoroughly combine everything.
- Scoop mixture onto an 8×8 baking dish (lined with parchment paper!!!) or a cookie sheet (with parchment paper or a silpat mat, like this…which is what I usually do).
- Press down and make sure that your mixture is tightly packed all around and uniform.
- Pop it into the oven for 25-30 minutes (until they are feeling a bit crispy on top).
- Take out of oven, allow to cool.
- When cool, I go ahead and pop it into the freezer for about an hour.
- After an hour in the freezer, you can easily cut individual bars with a pizza cutter.
- Eat and enjoy!!!
I like to wrap mine in wax paper and store them in the freezer. I think that you’ll find these to be a great treat anytime of day.
Possible questions…
*Can I add in other nuts or fruit.
Ummm, yeah! Have FUN with these! The ratios that I’ve provided work pretty well, so keep that in mind, but feel free to improvise!
*But wait…I heard rice syrup was bad for you…?
Yeah, I’ve heard that, too. I’ve also heard this, and I tend to side a little more with this information (it’s a good read). Plus, I am an 80/20 kind of gal, so a little rice syrup (from non-GMO, organic brown rice) every now and again is okay with me.
*What if I don’t have kefir?
No problem! I’d recommend yogurt, which also works well for soaking. Oh, I personally have used buttermilk, too.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the lovely bloggers with whom I’ve been working on this fun Halloween series! I’ve tagged their Facebook pages below.
Healthy Roots, Happy Soul; Live Simply; Naturally Mindful; Rethink Simple; We Got Real.
Until next time…
xoxo,
Jess, aka Scratch Mommy
Comments 3
Can I use something other than kefir. I have a dairy issue and can’t use any sugar other than maple syrup.
Aww, great question! Yes, you certainly can use other mediums for soaking.
Whey, yogurt, cultured milk, buttermilk, lemon juice, & vinegar are all great liquids for soaking and serve the purpose of ridding the phytic acid.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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