Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Healthy Snack Bars

Mr Minx's triglyceride levels have been high recently, despite having low cholesterol, so we've been working to get those numbers down by eating fewer carbohydrates. Those we do eat are whole grain, and I try to throw flax seed and chia seeds in everything because they are full of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.

Recently, I experimented with a snack cake that was full of good stuff - oats, flax, chia - with relatively little fat. The results were excellent - a not-too-sweet cake with good texture and hearty flavor. The cake was nice and moist when it came out of the oven, but did dry out a bit as time passed. I liked it toasted and topped with a bit of preserves.

Oaty Snacks

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon chia seeds, ground, and hydrated in 2 tablespoons of water
1 cup low- or non-fat yogurt
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried cherries, cranberries, or raisins

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put one cup of rolled oats in the food processor and grind to a flour. Set aside.

Put flax seeds in a skillet and toast over medium heat, shaking/stirring constantly, until they start to smell toasty, about 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder or food processor.

In a bowl, mix oat flour, remaining oats, flax powder, whole wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, cream together brown sugar and oil. Beat in egg. Stir in chia seeds and yogurt.

Fold in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and fruits. Press into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Posted on Minxeats.com.