PB&J Protein Squares
I forgot how much I missed not showering. And hiking, and snakes, and fishing for minnows with my hands. And meteors.
I did get to do some cooking on the trip. There was an apple tree right near the cabin where I climbed up and shook down a lot of apples. I wasn’t sure what kind they were, but I sautéed them with maple and cinnamon for a quick dessert. Of course there were some authentic s’mores, which were maybe even better than the S’mores Donuts I made a couple of weeks ago.
I was seriously protein deprived after a weekend of carbs, so I set out to make a protein bar without the use of protein powder (which I’ve sort of given up on) but still with natural protein sources. They’re PB&J flavored, too.
Vegan PB&J Protein Squares
Ingredients- Bars
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup peanut butter (or sub. any nut butter)
1/8 dark brown sugar
1/3 cup unbleached organic flour (or sub. peanut flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup + 1 tb almond milk (or any nut milk)
3/4 cup rolled oats
In food processor, blend chickpeas until smooth. Add peanut butter and blend. Add brown sugar, flour, and baking powder, and pulse until dough forms. Add in milk and blend until smooth. Stir in rolled oats.
Spread into greased 11″ x 7″ glass pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until tops form a slight crust. Cool before topping with frosting.
Ingredients- Frosting
1 package light firm tofu, drained (12.3 oz)
1/3 cup jelly/jam, any flavor (I used strawberry)
3 tb chia seeds
optional: mint leaves
In food processor, combine tofu and jelly/jam. Add in 2 tb of the chia seeds, and blend again. If desired, add a few sprigs of mint. Add in last 1 tb of chia, and stir into frosting mixture. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes, until frosting has thickened. Spread over peanut butter bars and serve. Makes about 12 squares.
I had a nice moment during the meteor shower last night where this Owen Pallett song kept playing through my head. I had this overwhelming feeling that I was about to be sucked into outer space the whole time I was watching the stars.
omg! I can’t wait to try these, especially for the Huzzleband who is a veg~head. I’d like to try them with cashew butter; yum. We had a houseboat growing up with many a summer spent on the Bayous; I miss that very much.
Always something interesting, I enjoy seeing your creations ! This looks delish as expected. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Oh my goodness, I want a whole tray of these! Is there any better flavour combination than PB&J?
These look amazing, I’m making them this weekend!