Healthy Snack Idea: Seed Bar

by Healthy Kitchen Assistant Chef Carrie Adams

A snack bar that is healthy and actually tastes good is hard to come by. Thankfully, the H3 Healthy Kitchen is devoted to creating recipes that are both nutritious and delicious. The healthy Seed Bar recipe tastes amazing; plus, it's a easy and fun recipe to make with the entire family. So roll up your sleeves, grab the kids and start some healthy snacking!

Ingredients:

½ cup Pumpkin Seeds

⅓ cup Coconut flake, unsweetened

3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds

3 Tablespoons Chia seeds

½ teaspoon Baking powder

½ teaspoon Salt

¼ cup Canola oil

⅓ cup Apple Butter

1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

½ cup 10 grain flour

1 cup Apricots, dried, chopped

⅓ cup Chocolate chips (optional)

Chef's Note: The apricots in this recipe can be subbed with any dried fruit, i.e., cherries, cranberries, dates, raisins, etc.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.


• Mix dry ingredients together except coconut. Set aside


• Mix wet ingredients and cinnamon together separately.


• Combine all ingredients, its ok if it seems too crumbly.


• Press down in a greased 9x13” pan, sprinkle coconut on top.


• Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes.


• Cool, cut and serve!

Nutrition:

Servings: 20

Serving Size: 1 bar

Calories: 140 calories

Fat: 8 grams

Protein: 3 grams

Carbohydrates: 15 grams

Sodium: 70 milligrams

Fiber: 2 grams

H3 Recipe Bonus: Sweet & Salty Thai Candied Pumpkin Seeds

[caption id="attachment_3903" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="All smiles - must have tasted his candied seeds!"][/caption]

Have you carved your pumpkin yet?  Make sure to save your seeds – and turn them into delicious Thai Candied Pumpkin seed treats! 

Trick your friends by surprising them with a nutritious and healthy alternative to the mounds of candy bars and chocolates handed out this weekend.  Pumpkin is a lower fat seed and rich in zinc and protein, but when mixed with sweet-hot-salty syrup and baked until crunchy they do become rather addictive so be sure to follow the portion size!

Here’s the recipe from the H3 kitchen:



Thai Candied Pumpkin Seeds

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup Demerara (raw) sugar


• ¼ cup water


• ½ cup maple syrup


• 1 tsp cayenne pepper


• 1 tsp kosher salt


• 3 cups raw pumpkin seeds

PREPARATION:

• Heat oven to 400°.

• Combine first five ingredients in a sauce pot and gently simmer to a light caramel

• Stir in pumpkin seeds

• Spread seeds thinly on a spray-oiled baking sheet and place in hot oven for 10 minutes

• Remove from oven and stir seeds with a broad, flat, metal spatula, pulling seeds from the edges of the pan to the middle and the middle to the edges to help evenly brown

• Return pan to oven and bake 5-10 minutes longer until seeds are vigorously bubbling, watch carefully

• Remove from oven and stir again. The stirring causes crystallization

• Scatter seeds onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and allow to cool

• When cool break apart

• Store in an air-tight container

Number of servings: 24

Serving Size: 2 Tbsp

Calories: 189

Fat Grams: 12

Protein: 8 grams

A Crunchy Treat

When you carve a scary face into your jack-o-lantern, make sure to save the seeds! 

Pumpkin seeds are low in fat and rich in zinc and protein, but when mixed with sweet-hot-salty syrup and baked until crunchy they do become rather addictive so be sure to follow the portion size!  A few scattered on a salad go a long way.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Demerara (raw) sugar

¼ cup water

½ cup maple syrup

1 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 cups raw organic pumpkin seeds

PREPARATION:

- Heat oven to 400°.

- Combine first five ingredients in a sauce pot and gently simmer to a light caramel

- Stir in pumpkin seeds

- Spread seeds thinly on a spray-oiled baking sheet and place in hot oven for 10 minutes

- Remove from oven and stir seeds with a broad, flat, metal spatula, pulling seeds from the edges of the pan to the middle and the middle to the edges to help evenly brown

- Return pan to oven and bake 5-10 minutes longer until seeds are vigorously bubbling, watch carefully

- Remove from oven and stir again.  The stirring causes crystallization

- Scatter seeds onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and allow to cool

- When cool break apart

- Store in an air-tight container

 

Number of servings: 24
Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
Calories: 189
Fat: 12 grams
Protein: 8 grams