Snack Bars with Quinoa, Mango, Nuts, and Coconut

Ingredients

1 cup smallish torn pieces dried mango (about 3 oz/85 g)

½ cup (90 g) uncooked quinoa

½ cup (60g) roughly chopped raw pistachios

½ cup (70 g) roughly chopped raw peanuts

¼ cup (35 g) raw sunflower seeds

¼ cup (20 g) unsweetened shredded coconut

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons brown rice syrup

COATING:

¼ cup (20 g) lightly toasted unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

Put the mango pieces in a small bowl, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon hot water over them, and toss to coat. Let sit until the water has been absorbed and the mango is softer and more hydrated, adding a bit more hot water if you need to. The mango won't actually get soft, but it should be more pliable than its original state. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Dump the quinoa, pistachios, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and coconut into a bowl. Drizzle on a glug of olive oil, add ½ teaspoon salt, and toss until everything is well distributed and coated with oil.

Spread onto a sheet pan and bake-stirring from the outside to the inside occasionally-until the ingredients are slightly darkened and smelling nutty, 8 to 12 minutes. Take care not to overbake or the quinoa will be bitter. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and let the ingredients cool. If you're worried that they'll get a bit too toasted, transfer them ASAP from the sheet pan to a plate or tray so they don't keep cooking

Reduce the oven temperature to 200°F (98°C). With a little olive oil, lightly grease a 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) baking dish.

Put the mango, brown rice syrup, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a food processor and blend until you have a chunky paste, scraping down the sides as needed. This could take a couple of minutes if your mango is tough. You could add another few sprinkles of water if need be, but don't let the mixture get soupy; it should be a thick, stiff paste.

Put the cooled quinoa mixture back into the bowl, add the mango paste, and knead it all together. It will be sticky, so you can dampen your hands lightly if you like. Once the bits are all nicely blended with the paste, transfer the mixture to the baking dish and press firmly to form an even, nicely compacted layer.

Bake to dry out the bar a bit, another 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and cut into 36 bars. If you like, spread the toasted coconut on a tray and press both sides of the bars into the coconut for a Keep the crunchy coating ® bars in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in plastic for up to 1 week.

Eat whenever you want a snack, with no guilt whatsoever.

Notes

I like to use red quinoa in these bars because the color adds eye appeal. If you can't find brown rice syrup, use another sweet

syrup, such as honey, maple, or Lyle'S Golden Syrup, a British favorite that's maybe not super "natural" but is super delicious. -Makes thirty-six 1x3-inch (2.5 × 7.5 cm) bars