Oaty squares... packed with fruit and veg and perfect for lunch boxes!
I first came across a variation of this recipe as a cookie on Deliciously Ella's blog. I made the cookie version and it was pretty good, but I then had an idea to use my juicer pulp and bake the mixture as a sheet cake that I subsequently chopped into squares.
I loved it this way, it was even better than the cookies! Soft and squishy slabs of goodness perfect for picnics, camping and now lunch boxes seeing as we've come to that point in the year again!!
I've made these about three times in the last month, they are so crazy easy and were the perfect snack when I went to Raw Fest a couple of weeks ago and now I just tend to have a batch in the fridge at all times. The uncooked mix tasted amazing too... I ate way to much of it!
I love the fact that they are also fat-free, not because fat is bad but because at the moment I am experimenting with reducing oils in my baking if I can and add nuts optionally that gives much more flexibility. In actual fact I reckon walnuts or almonds would be magical in these for some great texture. I'll try that in my next batch!
I used juice pulp as another genius way to use the remainder from my juicing experiments, but you could just grate carrot and apple and use the whole food. Just be aware of liquid levels as you might need a little extra oats or just squeeze out the grated fruit/veg a bit so it's less wet.
For me beetroot, carrot, apple and ginger is the perfect combination but you could try other options…
How about sweet potato or parsnip as the veg option? I think any sweet root vegetable would be a winner!
When I originally made the cookies it was using pulp from a juice that didn't include beetroot (just carrot, apple and ginger) so they were much lighter in colour. You can omit the beetroot and use extra carrot if your prefer to get a totally delicious snack bar!
Recipe: Carrot, apple and ginger oat squares
Makes approx 12
Ingredients:
3 cups (250g) oats
4 bananas- mashed
3 tbs syrup of choice- I used coconut syrup
150g mix of dried cranberries and sultanas*
1 scant cup apple pulp (or 2 small grated apples)
1 scant cup carrot pulp (or 1 large grated carrot)
1/2 cup beet pulp (or 1 grated beetroot)
2 tsp ground ginger (or 1 tbs fresh grated)
*I liked the bend of dried fruit as the cranberries gave a nice slightly tart flavour.
Method:
Mix all ingredients together well but so that the mix is still coarse. Add dried fruit last.
Spoon the mixture into a lined brownie size tin and press down firmly and evenly. (mix should be approx 2cm thick)
Bake for approx. 20 minutes at 180C until golden on top. Allowed to cool before removing from the tin and slicing into squares. These store well and stay lovely and moist for up to a week in the fridge. I haven't tried freezing yet- they get eaten too quickly!!
