Banana Peanut Butter Bars

I'm always in the mood to make raw desserts but I feel like I'm not very good at them. I don't buy alot of exotic ingredients like coconut butter or mesquite powder so I pretty much work with nuts, oats and a dried fruit. Of course, I always have peanut butter on hand and then usually run out of chocolate ingredients. These bars were easy and I had all the ingredients except oats so I used a mixture of buckwheat, chia seeds and other superfoods (it's Trader Joe's ancient grain and superfood mix).


I was super lazy about this recipe but I'm sharing it because these are yum. I didn't even measure the ingredients, just used a tablespoon for the superfoods mix and used handfuls of other ingredients. I only made two bars but could have easily cut the bars into two pieces. It's ok to be lazy and not perfect with a recipe so enjoy this one; it's ok if you use too much of something. Nothing in life is perfect, right? Sometimes throwing together a recipe all informal is exactly what you need at the end of the day and because you love your blog and your readers, you still blog it!

The superfoods mix gives this crust a crunch that at first did not thrill me; I still prefer the rolled oats. The raisins are super sweet so you don't need alot of them. I usually prefer dates for raw recipes but I didn't have any and raisins are my second favorite. I used pecans for the crust too. This recipe has no added sugar, no coconut sugar or maple syrup, all the sweetness is from the raisins and banana.

This weekend is Easter, and though I'm not religious, it's a cool holiday to usher in the spring weather. I'm headed home to see my family and friends in Philly so this week I'm working on finishing up my produce and some fruit. Tomorrow I'm going to try making adzuki bean burgers and a smoothie so stay tuned for those recipes.  Onto the bars now!

Crust:
3 tbsp of ancient grains and seeds mix (Trader Joe's) or 1 cup of rolled oats
2 handfuls of raisins
1/4 cup of pecans
A little water

Put all of the crust ingredients in your food processor. Put more ingredients in, use your own measurements, do whatever you want! This recipe is super informal. Add a tiny bit of water as you process the crust so it gets sticky and crust-like. Press the crust into wax paper and make a square shape. You may need to trim the edges.

Spread peanut butter on top of the crust but not so much that it drips off. Pop the bar in the freezer for an hour before you add the banana to the top. When the peanut butter is harder and not drippy, slice a banana and add 4-5 slices on top of the peanut butter. Freeze for a little bit more than refrigerate overnight. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the banana before you eat.

Notes: if the crust is too thick, cut the bar in two or don't make the bar as thick. Use any nut for the crust; to make lower in fat, use raisins and rolled oats. Use almond butter instead of peanut butter. Again, use this recipe as a base and do whatever you wish!

Have a fabulous Easter/spring break!!! Head to my facebook page for some more awesome updates like how I officially registered for the NYC marathon in November!! Oh yeah, I'm so psyched and scared and nervous!