Recipe from Garden Fresh Foodie
Editor’s note: This plant-based recipe for zucchini bars makes a great healthy breakfast or snack. These treats are made with no refined sugar and no oil, and they can be made gluten-free as well. If you don’t have access to fresh zucchini, you can use frozen shredded zucchini instead, and you can freeze the bars and take them out when you want them. Enjoy.
Zucchini Breakfast Bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 24
Per Serving 221 calories
Fat 8 g
Carbs 36 g
Protein 5 g
Ingredients
- 4 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups date paste
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (flax meal) plus 6 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 260 g oat flour=2 cups +2tbsp
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup flaked coconut
- 1 cup raisins, soaked
- *Alternative add-ins: chocolate chips, cubed apples or pears, or a cup of fresh berries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line an 8×12 pan with parchment paper.
- Place shredded zucchini into a colander. Sprinkle with salt, and let sit for about 30 minutes. This will release excess moisture from the zucchini. Squeeze out excess moisture. If using frozen shredded zucchini, thaw, and skip the salting step. Add salt directly to batter.
- Add applesauce, vanilla, almond butter, and date paste to a mixer.
- Mix dry ingredients in another bowl, and gradually add into wet mixture, alternating with zucchini.
- Fold in raisins.
- Pour mixture into prepared 8×12 pan, dividing into an additional 8×8 pan if you’d like the bars to be thinner (the batter is thick, and can be divided into 1 large and 1 smaller pan if desired. We put it all in the 8×12 pan). Be sure to adjust baking time if dividing.
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until knife inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool for 15 minutes, remove from pan and cut.
- Can be frozen, or you can serve topped with freshly toasted coconut.
Notes
• No refined flours or sugars, low in sugar
• High in fiber; great for digestive health, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, increasing satiety
• Good source of plant-based protein, great for healing and repairing tissues
• No added oils, cholesterol free
• Vegan and gluten free, reduces inflammation in the body
*to decrease fat content/saturated fat, omit coconut
Tell us in the comments what you think of this plant-based recipe because we’d love to hear what you think!
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