Dark Chocolate, Candied Orange Peel, Puffed Rice and Quinoa Bars.

       As I already said in an earlier article, it's been a few months since I stopped buying industrial cereals. Indeed I've decided to make home made granola on the grounds that it would be a great improvement in my breakfast routine and since then I've sticked to this new habit, and I love it. So to continue on this healthy line, this week I've decided to give a try to home made cereal and grain bars. Here is my first attempt: a combo between health (quinoa, rice, and flax seeds) and pleasure (candied orange and chocolate). It was a pretty successful attempt, that's why I'm sharing this recipe with you. However next time I'll use more agava syrup because the bars weren't sticky enough and were somewhat crumbling -I've taken this into account in the recipe below. Anyway, this is a new step in my 100% home made food; I now rarely buy packed biscuits and cakes and I'll soon try other new bar recipes, I promise !

Ingredients:

for approximately 12 bars
- 150g puffed rice
- 150g puffed quinoa
- a handful golden flax seeds
- 100g agava syrup
- 1 egg white
- 50g candied orange peel
- 70g dark chocolate


Instructions:

Preheat the oven at 180°C
1) Finely dice the candied orange peal.
2) Mix together the egg white with the agava syrup.
3) Incorporate the rice, quinoa, flax seeds, and the diced orange peel. Coat.
4)Spread the mixture in a rectangle or square mould prepared with parchment paper. Bake for 30min.
5) Remove from the oven and the mould. Let it cool down for 10min before cutting.
6) Meanwhile, melt the chocolate with one or two tablespoons of water. Coat the bars with the chocolate when they've cooled down. Top with some flax seeds. Cool on a rack until the chocolate has hardened.

Store the bars in an air tight box up to 4-5 days - but let me tell you that mine didn't last so long :).

Enjoy,

B.