Multigrain breakfast squares/Cereal bars

Breakfast squares!

When we go travelling, I am the hungry bear looking for food all the while. I cannot eat a lot at a time and need food very often in small portions. If I ask my husband to go to a rest area, invariably, it would be after a couple of hours when he feels hungry. So I stopped depending on the him and started carrying my picnic basket wherever I go. When I went shopping last weekend, I packed some of these and water, he did not ask me if I was going to camp there. He knows I will be a demon when hungry!

These squares packed in individual snack bags would be very handy for such trips. It is kid friendly as there is no need to worry about the ingredients. I have adapted this recipe  from www.wholeliving.com and added some more ingredients including roasted quinoa. Yeah, if one has a big bag of quinoa, she tends to invent ways to use it. It is not a big deal if you cut out some grains but the total volume should be approximately the same, so as to match with the wet ingredients. If you wish, mix the dry ingredients and store it in an air tight bottle to bake later.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup roasted wheat bran
• 1 cup roasted coarsely ground quinoa
• 1 cup oats
• 1/4 cup rice flakes(aval)
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mixed nuts (walnut, cashew and pistachio)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped dry fruits (cranberries and raisins)
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup apple butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain it on a towel and roast it on medium heat. Cool it and grind it coarsely with the flax seeds.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients.
3. Combine peanut butter, honey, apple butter, egg and vanilla extract. (Apple sauce could be a substitute for apple butter.)
4. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix gently. It will resemble a crumbly mixture. (It should cling to each other loosely but not as a tight lump.)
5. Transfer this to a greased baking pan and even the top, patting gently with the fingers.
6. Bake at 350º F for 20 minutes or until the sides brown.
7. Cool it in the pan for 3o minutes.
8. It leaves the sides, so ease it, place it on a board and cut it into squares or bars.

It crumbled a bit when I tried to cut it. Should have used parchment paper! …next time!

Perfect for an early breakfast with a cup of coffee. Pack this to school or office for an almost guilt free snack.

Break some squares into chunks and toss them on scoops of vanilla ice cream to add some crunchy texture to the dessert. Carry this around and you will never be hungry again!

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