Sweet Potato Quinoa Granola Bars

Sweet Potato Quinoa Granola Bars

Makes 12 bars

2.5 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sweet potato puree

1/2 cup Date Lady Date syrup

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup roughly chopped nuts (I used half pecans, half almonds)

1/2 cup dried cranberries, dates or raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Clean chop and boil sweet potatoes in a pan until soft when pricked with a fork.  Drain off most of the water and immersion blend until smooth.  Toast the uncooked quinoa on the stove in a wide pan over low heat, 8-10 minutes, stirring often (quinoa grains will pop in the pan). Mix oats, spices, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together sweet potato puree, vanilla and agave. Add wet mix to oat mix, making sure that all oats are moistened. Stir in quinoa, nuts and cranberries.

Line an 8″ or 9″ square pan with one piece of parchment paper so that the edges of the parchment paper hang over two opposite edges of the pan (so that you can lift the bars out of the pan after baking). Press granola mix into the lined pan firmly with your hand or the bottom of another pan.Bake at 325 for 22-25 minutes. Let granola cool slightly in pan; remove and cut before completely cool.

Original recipe adapted from http://sharedbites.blogspot.com/2011/03/sweet-potato-quinoa-granola-bars-and.html