Sunday, December 13, 2009

Protein Bars (Save 50%)

Protein bars are expensive in the store. Even bulk order Cliff Bars are more than a $1.00 a piece. These have more protien, less carbs, and none of the nasty chemicals you'll find in a store-bought protein bar. They aren't shelf stable, so eat them within a week, but they are very tasty. And at $0.52 a piece they save you 50%!

Recipe:

This recipe is a cheaper, vegan version of Alton Brown's protein bars. This version has no eggs or dairy, and is a lot cheaper.

Amount Ingredient Cost
4 oz Rice Protein Powder $1.75
2 1/4 oz Oat Bran $0.42
2 3/4 oz Whole Wheat Flour $0.17
3/4 oz Wheat Germ $0.17
1/2 tsp Salt $0.00
11 oz Raisins $1.87
1 box (12 oz) Silken Tofu $1.17
1/2 cup Apple Juice (unfiltered, or similar) $0.42
4 oz Dark Brown Sugar $0.63
2/3 cups Peanut Butter (ingredients: Peanuts) $0.28
4 Tbsp Water $0.00
2 Tbsp Peanut Oil (or any oil) $0.22
2 Tsp Corn Starch $0.20
Total: $7.30

Line a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with a Silpat and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Chop the raisins (the goal is to cut each raisin in half, but it's not worth the effort to set up a miniature guillotine. )

In a stand mixer, whisk the tofu until smooth, then add all of the wet ingredients in. Add the brown sugar and the peanut butter. Switch over to the mixing attachment and dump in the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer down to the lowest setting and stir in the raisins for about ten seconds.

Spread the mixture on the silpat and bake it for 45 minutes. If you don't cook this all the way through you won't be at risk of salmonella, but the bars will taste mealy.

Let it cool, cut it down the middle and then divide by 7 into bars (for a total of 14 bars each about 4.5" by 2").

Nutrition
Nutritional information
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 bar(?g) Servings Per Batch 14
Amount Per Serving
Calories 265 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10g 16%
Saturated Fat 1.3g 6.5%
Cholesterol 0g 0%
Sodium 142mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 12%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 23g
Protein 12.6g 25%
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.