Carrot and apricot breakfast bars
These can be kept in the fridge for a few days, ready to provide an instant healthy breakfast or snack. They’re packed with raw carrot, oats, dried apricots and seeds, and given plenty of fragrant flavour with orange and lemon zest and a little cardamom.
Method
Put the carrots and apricots into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped and well mixed, stopping several times to scrape down the sides and ensure that everything is evenly chopped.
Add the coconut oil, citrus zests and cardamom. Process again until thoroughly combined.
Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and add the oats and seeds. Mix thoroughly together.
Line a small baking tray, about 18 x 20cm, with baking parchment. Tip the mixture into the tray and spread it out evenly so that it fills the tray. Tamp it down, smooth the top and fold the parchment over to cover it, or cover with a second piece. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.
Cut into fingers – 12 or 16, depending on how greedy you’re feeling! Keep in a plastic box in the fridge and eat within a week. As well as making a great breakfast, the bars can be packed in a lunchbox – just keep them fairly cool so they don’t soften up too much.
Serving suggestions
Veg: Parsnip is a good alternative to the carrot.
Dried fruit: Replace the apricots with pitted dates.
Spices Swap: 1 tsp ground cinnamon for the cardamom.
Ingredients
400g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
200g unsulphured dried apricots, roughly chopped
3 tbsp virgin coconut oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
6 cardamom pods, seeds extracted and roughly crushed
150g porridge oats (not jumbo, chunky or traditional oats)
100g mixed seeds, such as sunflower, sesame and pumpkin
This recipe is taken from...
Eat well and feel great with Much More Veg
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