Pumpkin & Pomegranate

I need to start off this post with a little edit of the previous posting. I was over hasty when I said I quit my part time gig. I spoke with the owner of Healeo this weekend (he hadn’t gotten my message about not being able to make it work) and we discussed it. We are now going to be doing things a little differently, but it will work out now!

I grew up with a mother who was a health nut. Healthy food was of the utmost importance, and so even the sweets were made with a healthy tweak. Her Toll House cookies were made using half whole wheat flour, and she preferred brown sugar over white. I grew up having my food sprinkled with wheat germ, and wasn’t allowed cereal with BHT in it. Looking back I don’t really consider any of her baked goods to be actually healthy, but she was definitely doing better than most others I knew, and she was trying! One of the cookbooks I remember her using was The Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster which brought carob into my life. Somehow carob brownies never tasted like chocolate brownies, but honestly I liked the taste of carob itself.  Last week I was in Madison Market, one of the Co-Ops in Seattle, and I picked up some carob-goji energy bars from the bulk bins. I hadn’t had a carob energy bar in years and looking at the ingredients I saw that they were completely me-friendly.These tasted a little different than the ones I had before, I think due to the goji, but the brought me back to my childhood when my mother would be the little tar colored bars in the bulk bin at our hippy-dippy Whole Foods in the early 80′s. I know it seems like an odd thing to have nostalgia for, but I have some for carob bars. Luckily I found out they aren’t all that difficult to make at home. The hardest part was getting all the whole seeds into the “dough”, but I found that kneading it all on a piece of waxed paper worked out very very well. All very worth it as they are much more cost effective when made at home! Plus I got to add whatever I wanted.

Carob Energy Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Dates*
• 1/2 C. Carob Powder, sifted
• 1/4 C. Chia Seeds
• 1/4 C. Sesame Seeds
• 1/4 C. Hemp Seeds
• 2 T. Dried Coconut Flakes
• 1/4 C. Goji Berries
• 1/2 C. Pumpkin Seeds
• 1 C. Sunflower Seeds

Method:

1. Process your dates in the food processor until you get a paste, add carob powder and continue to process until combined.
2. Scrape mixture into a large bowl and add the chia seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, and flaked coconut. Mix to combine.
3. Lay a couple of pieces of waxed paper on the counter and turn the “dough” out on top of it. Mash it down a bit and sprinkle with the rest of the ingredients. Slowly fold the rest of the ingredients into the dough, kneading it a bit to get them evenly distributed.
4. Once everything is combined, press the mixture into a loaf pan. Cover with another sheet of waxed or parchment paper and press down to smooth the top. Refrigerate until set.
5. Once set, slice into cubes with a sharp knife.

*I prefer dates that are un-pitted as they are much more moist. If using pitted dates you might need to add some liquid or use prunes as well. My date of preference is the medjool.