These deliciously yummy sweet potato granola bars are here to help ease you into the new year. After Christmas and New Years Eve celebrations, we can all feel a little run down. We’ve just spent so much time cooking, eating, and drinking and come the new year we start feeling the effects on our bodies and minds.
Since this is a time when so many of us decide to refocus on our health and wellbeing, I decided to give you a recipe for a granola bar that not only tastes amazing but will also help you re-balance and stay on track!
After a little (or a lot!) of indulgence over the holidays, it’s important to ease your body and mind into healthy eating. I mean sure, you could dive head first into pure green veggie juices and cleanses, but that might not be sustainable for everyone.
I love these bars because they’re super simple to make and are super yummy. It’s perfect for that grab-n-run-out-the-door kind of breakfast, the kind that becomes more and more common as we go back to our daily lives and routines. I definitely know that if I’m at work and that hunger attacks, I need a healthy snack by my side to keep me reaching for an unhealthy treat. I also know that for me, my healthy snacks gotta taste gooood or it’s a no-go. A girl’s gotta have flavour!
These sweet potato bars are an amazing balance of creamy and crunchy. We steam the sweet potatoes, mash them, and then mix it with activated buckwheat, chia seeds, goji berries, seeds and nuts to give it a delicious texture. The tahini, almond butter, and coconut oil make it stay together and also give it a delicious taste, and the maple syrup gives it a lovely sweetness without being too overpowering. The cinnamon and cardamom give it a warming flavour that just balances everything out perfectly! Yum yum!
This recipe was inspired by Golubka Kitchen! I definitely recommend checking out Anya’s blog, and she even has a cookbook out!
When I have time I love having mine as they are or crumbled on top of coconut yogurt, drizzled in some more almond butter (oh how I love the stuff) and topped with blueberries. Of course if I’m out of time these get grabbed, stuffed in my bad, and eaten as they are. Tastes great whichever way!
These deliciously yummy sweet potato granola bars are here to help ease you into the new year, full of goodness and yummyness to keep your day going! It's got crunch and creaminess all at the same time, and it an awesome grab-n-go breakfast option as well as delicious snack!
Author: Teffy Perk
Recipe type: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: Vegan, Healthy, Gluten Free
Serves: 10
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
1 cup (250ml) activated buckwheat groats*
½ cup (125ml) hazelnuts
¼ cup (60ml) pistachios
¼ cup (60ml) walnuts
¼ cup (60ml) pecans
¼ cup (60ml) chia seeds
¼ cup (60ml) goji berries
½ cup (125ml) pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
Wet Ingredients
200g sweet potato
¼ cup (60ml) hulled tahini
½ cup(125ml) almond butter
¼ cup (60ml) coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
3 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Add your nuts into a food processor and break them down into pieces. Don't go too far or it'll become like a flour! We want to keep nice and crunchy pieces here. Set them aside in a large bowl with your buckwheat, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and goji berries.
Add some boiling water to a pan and add a steamer basket.
Chop you sweet potato into pieces (leave the skin on!) and add to the steamer basket and steam for about 10 minutes (the smaller your pieces, the quicker it'll cook)
When the sweet potato is nice and tender add to a food processor and blitz it down into a creamy mash.
In another bowl combine the rest of your wet ingredients and whisk until combined. Add your sweet potato mash and mix until it's all combined. It should be a gorgeous and fragrant colour now (beware not to eat the whole thing as is while taste testing!) If your wet ingredients are too hard you could lightly melt on a saucepan on low heat. You don't want to bring it to a boil here, it's just so everything combines!
Line a baking tray with parchment. Add your caramel-like wet mixture to the large bowl with the dry ingredients, mix, and add to the baking tray. Use a spoon to smooth it out.
Place in the fridge or freezer for about 20 minutes, cut into bars, and store in the fridge until you need a yummy snack!
Notes
*You can buy buckwheat already activated, or you can activate your own by soaking the groats overnight in water with a dash of apple cider vinegar. Drain and rinse in the morning and add to your dehydrator/oven on lowest setting for 12 hours. If you want to speed it up, simply roast the them until they're dry, but be careful to not let them burn.
STORING: If stored correctly in the fridge, these should keep for about 1 week! Wrap them in cling wrap or baking parchment for easy access.
Hi, I'm Teffy, a qualified Nutritionist and avid foodie. This blog is all about inspiring a balanced life through delicious and wholesome foods, with not a diet in sight. Healthy eating shouldn't be hard and stressful, it should be easy and fun - Working with my clients they are constantly amazed that yes, food can taste great AND be good for you!