Quinoa Muesli Bars

Out of the Ord - Quinoa

I adapted this muesli bar from Ambitious Kitchen's food blog using ingredients i had available in the pantry. Its great because as long as the texture of the individual ingredient is roughly the same you can substitute it.
My first batch i used too much banana and they didn't set properly - so don't go overboard on the banana. 
There is also a link to another muesli bar I've done that  doesn't need any baking at the bottom of this post.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• ½ cup uncooked pre-rinsed quinoa
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (¾ cup)
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste (alternative: vanilla essence)
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup chopped cashews
• ⅓ cup chopped dried apples
• ⅓ cup chopped pitted dates
• ¼ cup Coco2 hazelnut spread*
• 2 tablespoons chia honey**

Instructions:

1. Preheat BBQ/oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Line a lamington tray with baking paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, uncooked quinoa, chia seeds, salt and cinnamon.
4. Stir in mashed banana and vanilla.
5. Fold in walnuts, cashews and dried fruit.
6. Place a small saucepan over low heat; add in Coco2 and chia honey and stir until warm and runny (do not let bubble).
7. Mix everything together until well combined.
8. Pour into prepared tray and press down firmly with the back of a metal spoon.
9. Bake for 25 minutes or until edges turn golden brown.
10. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

​Notes:
* I used the Pure Harvest Super Food brand of Coco2. As an alternative try almond spread or peanut butter.
** The chia honey can be substituted for regular honey, maple syrup or brown sugar depending on your preference.
Wrap bars in wax paper tied with string and keep in the fridge, my bars are still fresh 2 weeks after cooking.

If you're looking for another muesli bar recipes try:
http://www.bbqbaker.com/blog/homemade-muesli-bars