My food processor is kaput. I need a new one, but rather than purchase another cheapo that will probably break quickly again, I’m contemplating on buying a more expensive model. But I also need new running shoes and would love a food dehydrator and a Garmin GPS running watch…so I’m prioritizing and doing without the food processor for now. By the way, have I mentioned that I decided I’m going to run a half marathon in the spring?
With these early morning training runs -okay, it’s actually like 9 or 10 am, but I am not a morning person- I need a healthy breakfast that I can just grab and go, and it has to be light enough that it won’t give me a stomachache while running. A friend sent me a link to some homemade Larabars recipe. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand to make those, but the concept seems the same in each recipe -fruit and nuts. So I decided to wing it. I had a container of mixed nuts from Target and a baggie of dates from a local Lebanese grocery store, and that’s what I used. By the way, I think these taste better than actual Larabars!
My Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup mixed nuts
Step One:
If your dates aren’t already pitted, cut them in half and dig the pits out. Soak your dates in water for at least 5 minutes, so they’ll soften.
Step Two:
While the dates are soaking, crush your nuts. =D If you have a food processor, you’ll want to grind the nuts up into fine pieces. If you’re like me, try using a pastry blender (cutter).
Tip: I discovered that peanuts and cashew halves are the easiest to crush by hand, so you could go with a cup of those instead of mixed nuts.
Step Three:
Crush the dates into the nuts. You can toss them in your food processor at this point, if you have one. I used an immersion blender. Not going to lie, it was a bit laborious. I’d get one or two dates crushed/blended, and then I’d have to stop the blender and use a fork to clean off the gunked up blades before starting again.
Step Four:
Put a piece of wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap in a loaf pan. Use some oil to grease the top of the paper/wrap. Add your date and nut mixture. Then use an additional piece of paper or wrap over top. Flatten the mixture. Put the pan into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Step Five:
Take your mixture out of the fridge and place on a cutting board. Carefully peel the wax paper off the top of the mixture. Flip over and pull the other piece off. Then cut the bars into the size you want. You can individually wrap them at this point to grab while on the go.
Voila! Enjoy your bars.
