I have an obsession with oats. It's probably not very normal to have such an obsession, but it is what it is, so I'm just going to call a spade a spade, admit my obsession and run with it. There are a few reasons why I love oats so much which I'm going to share and you never know - next week you may also find yourself in the beginning stages of an oat-session.
Oats are cheap.
This is a very important point to note because I, like many people in the world, do not own a money tree. I am also a university student and in theory the money I have should be spent on uni things like textbooks and pens and what not. Now, in practice this doesn't exactly eventuate because I like clothes and shopping, and less so textbooks. I also like food (wow I know, shocking revelation!) and therefore often find myself in a supermarket, buying oats. Because oats are cheap, I can buy lots of them and therefore I can eat them often - win win.
Oats are insanely versatile.
Did you wake up one day and feel the sudden and inexplicable urge to put some oats and some almond milk in a bowl and see what you'd get? Well, if you did, I'm pleased to say you'll end up with some delicious overnight oats. Did you wake up the next day and feel the need to put some oats and some coconut oil on a baking tray and put it in the oven and see what you'd get? Good! You've just made granola. Alternatively you may have been griped by the need to put some oats on top of your smoothie, or...maybe even in the smoothie?! Wow. Versatility is king. Oats are king.
Oats are nutritionally fantastic.
Now, I'm no scientist but according to people much more scientifically gifted, oats are nutritionally very good for you. Oats contain more fiber than any other grain which is good for the digestive system, helping you to feel fuller for longer and getting the need to rampage the fridge less often. Oats are also good for lowering cholesterol and they're full of plant protein which has been proven to be of equal value to animal protein (WHO). Personally, I have interpreted these fun facts as reason to consume even more oats than before, further fuelling my oat love.
Finally, oats are delicious. They go with basically everything and if you hadn't worked it out yet, I love oats. I took this love and I decided to add a few more of my favourite things and I ended up with some delightfully sticky and insanely delicious granola bars which have a very short lifespan because yes, I am eating one right now (and have been munching on them all morning....whoops!).
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| YUMMMMMMMMMM. |
(makes 8 bars)
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup diced dried apple (or other dried fruit of your liking)
10 medjool dates (pitted)
2 tbsp pure-state peanut butter
3 tbsp rice malt syrup
1 tbsp hot water
2 tbsp pure apple sauce
1/2 cup almonds
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1. Blend the pitted dates and tbsp hot water for about 1 minute, or until a dough like consistency forms. There should still be small chunks of date, but when rolled, the mixture should form and hold a ball shape.
2. In a bowl, mix the date 'dough' with the peanut butter, rice malt and apple sauce until well combined. To the bowl, add in the oats, dried apple and almonds and stir well. The mixture should be quite thick, although everything should be well coated and when pressed together, stick and hold.
3. Take a slice tin and line with baking paper/parchment. Spoon the mixture into the tin and press down really well, especially in the corners and edges. Place in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.
4. While the bars are in the fridge, take a small bowl and add the coconut oil, maple syrup and cacao. Place the bowl in a ledger bowl that has some boiling water in it to prevent the coconut oil from solidifying again. Stir this really well to make a raw chocolate drizzle.
5. Remove the bars from the fridge and use a sharp knife to slice them into 8 equal-sized bars. Take the cacao sauce and drizzle it generously over the top of the bars.
6. Test your willpower out by seeing how long these last in the fridge in an airtight container. I'm going to bet it isn't very long at all if you're anything like me!
(n.b. If serving to children, I would recommend using some baking paper/parchment and twine to make some cute little packing as I have done in the pictures because these bars are quite sticky and nobody likes sticky messy little fingers making sticky little messes all over everything!)
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