Spring is playing with us these days, and temperatures seem to simply go crazy with major differences from one day to another. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the trees blooming, because in a few days the temperature dropped and the wind blew away all the petals. When I was a child, trees were blooming in April, and spring was slowly passing. Today, I don’t know if tomorrow is going to be winter or summer. Climate change is not only a cool way to spice up your Oscar speech, it’s something our bodies have to endure every day, challenging their limits and forcing them to adapt.
I have a balanced and varied diet, but the last few weeks I found myself lacking energy in the afternoon for no apparent reason. Neither my green tea nor my boyfriend’s coffee brew managed to increase my energy, so I had to think of alternatives and turned to minerals and natural sugar. The raw chocolate and nuts always seem to have an energy-boosting effect, and they taste delicious together.
After some experiments, I discovered my favorite combination of flavors, and this would be coconut-chocolate-nut butter. The chewy texture with a velvety touch from the coconut, the bitter-earthy taste of tahini, the delicate flavor of almond butter, the decadence of chocolate, the sweetness of honeyâall of these turned a necessary snack into a real afternoon treat. I also added hemp for extra protein and a nice texture.
Nuts are loaded with healthy fats and calories that are burned slowly for our body to benefit from a slow-released energy to last until dinner. I particularly love almonds because of their combination of antioxidant nutrients (flavonoids) and vitamin E, with a great impact on enhancing the oxidative resistance of LDL cholesterol, with heart-healthy benefits. The manganese, copper and riboflavin in almonds provide help with the energy production within our cells.
The two trace minerals activate the superoxide dismutase enzyme, with a key role in neutralizing the free radicals within our cells’ mitochondria and keeping the energy flow in balance. Riboflavin turns on the flavoprotein enzymes, that stimulate the oxygen-based energy production within our cells.
I love raw cacao for its antioxidant load and minerals, especially magnesium that helps my energy rise in the afternoon. But of course, dipping these bites in chocolate is a nourishing way to make them more eye-catching!
Protein Power Chocolate Cashew Bars
Ingredients
- 1 &1/2 cup soaked cashew nuts drained
- 1/4 cup almond flakes
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut flakes
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 2 tsp tahini
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts
- 2 tsp organic raw honey replace with 2 tsp agave nectar for the vegan version
- A pinch sea salt
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the cashew, almond flakes, oats and coconut flakes into the food processor and mix to obtain a thick crumble.
- Add the almond butter, tahini, honey/agave nectar and coconut oil, and pulse to obtain a sticky mixture.
- Line a square pan with parchment paper and evenly spread the mixture inside to form a 1/2 inch layer.
- Sprinkle with hemp hearts, then press with your fingers to stick them to the mixture.
- Cover with plastic foil and freeze for at least one hour.
- Melt the chocolate chips into a small sauce pan over low heat and set aside to cool.
- Remove the fudge from the freezer, cut into equal bars and dip them into melted chocolate (it will freeze instantly).
- Serve immediately or keep in the freezer.
Notes
Hello Ana, not only healthy, but beautiful as well! When do we add the hemp hearts to the bars? Press them onto the mixture in the pan before putting it in the freezer?
Kind regards, Elsbeth
I’ve just added this missing step – thanks for letting me know and for rating the recipe đ
These look and sound so delicious. I was wondering for how long the cashews need to be soaked? And do the cashews need to be raw? Thanks.
I usually soak the raw cashews overnight in purified water, but they will do just fine in the recipe if soaked for about an hour. Let me know how they turned out! đ
Hi … these cookies sound delicious and I am sure my grandsons will love them.Do you have a cut-out sugar cookie (without dairy, eggs, nuts and is gluten free, also) that I can make with them for the holidays?Thank you!Gree
Hi, any idea how to substitute oats? Thanks!
You probably need a gluten-free replacement for oats, so you can used puffed millet or quinoa instead. i hope this helps đ
Prettiest snack ever! I love anything coconut, so I would definitely enjoy this recipe. After making it, how long would it last? Just for extra information because I’m pretty sure I’ll finish them up pretty quick haha! I love the nutritional education you include in your articles too, it’s great to learn something about the food we put into our bodies!
Thank you so much, I’m happy to hear you’re interested in my recipes! These bars last up to one week in the fridge, and much more in the freezer. But, you are so right, I always finish them in a couple of days đ
Hello, coconut oil is in the directions but in the ingredients. Can you advise? Cannot wait to try!!!
The coconut oil is both in the Ingredient List and Method sections. The recipe is very simple, you just mix everything, including the coconut oil, into a food processor and then freeze đ Let me know if you try it!