Almond Buckwheat Goji Raw Bar
Happy Weekday my little Goji Berries (if you haven’t already gathered this, we’re working with Goji berries today)!!
So much to talk about, such little time…
Did you get to try out Kelly’s 30×30 workout? I highly suggest giving it a go. It’s a challenge, which we all need sometimes.
Besides the workout’s challenge, I successfully taught my first boot camp class on Saturday morning! It’s a free class put on by my best friend, Anne, and she’s pushing out my comfort zone wanting me to take over some of the classes. I happily kicked some bridal boot camp butt. 😉
Alrighty, onto the food!
This bar is hardly 100% original, but definitely customizable and definitely appetizing. Ok, ok, it’s much more than appetizing, it’s purely delicious in every way… right down to the giant sea salt crystals sprinkled on top.
No time wasting today, so let’s get started on the instructions.
I call this my chocolate-goji mound of love. You may call it yummy.
Step 1: Gather ingredients
Now, if you really want to get fancy with this bar, you’ll go forage your goji berries. For most of you, myself included, hopping on a plane to southeast Asia to harvest these now-dried fruits is hardly in the budget so we’ll just settle for some Amazonian-convenience.
Ok, now that we have purchased said berry, raw almonds, dates, and just a few other key items, and sprouted some buckwheat, we’re ready to work.
Step 2: Labor
Alright, this may sound incredible complicated and time consuming, but trust me, your patience will be rewarded.
In a food processor, grind raw almonds into a powder. Add in the rest of the ingredients and process again.
And… done.
See! Your patience is rewarded!
Step 3: Varietize
(there cannot only be two steps, people.)
When I make a recipe, I like to alter it, even if it’s my own. Variety is the spice of life and I’m no stranger to variety (says the woman who could eat a kabocha with mustard every day of her life).
With any leftover “bar” simply roll into tiny balls and lather in cocoa powder… or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix you just happen to have leftover from a past recipe. So.Freakin’.Good. Either way.
And since we haven’t wasted any time with this post, here’s the recipe. 😉
Almond Buckwheat Goji Raw Bars
[how about ABG Raw Bars for short]
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup sprouted buckwheat (or more almonds or nut of choice)
- 1 cup pitted soft dates
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup goji berries
- 3 tbsp chocolate chunks (any kind- I used organic dark chocolate chunks)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- sprinkle of fleur de sol (or more sea salt) for topping
In a food processor, grind almonds into a powder, a few chunks are fine too. Add in the buckwheat (if using), dates, sea salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Process again until desired consistency.
In a large bowl, combine the goji berries, chocolate chunks, and almond mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Line a baking sheet or small glass dish with plastic wrap and press dough into dish/pan, any desired thickness or shape. Sprinkle with fleur de sol and cover the top of bars with more plastic wrap. (At this point, I used a flat cup to press down the bars, making the top uniform- you can skip this step) Place in the freezer for an hour to harden.
Remove from freezer and slice into pieces.
Easy, delicious, high fuel potential. Why not make these. The substitutions are endless.
Don’t have almonds or buckwheat? Use any nut or seed!
Don’t have goji berries? Use any dried fruit! Think raisins, candied ginger, tart cherries.
Not a cinnamon fan? *gasp!* It’s ok, try out cocoa powder, chili powder, and a pinch of cayenne.
Eating should be fun. It should be enjoyed. And it should be shared.
I sent these, along with more goodies (you’ll have to wait later in the week for) to a friend who could use a care package.
Thanks for reading! And a huge hello to the new readers I know are out there! Each and every comment I get (or even don’t get) brings a giant smile to my face. I appreciate you! 🙂
Alright, without further time wasting, happy Monday. See you tomorrow?
Questions of the Day:
Who or what makes you smile?
Who or what calms you?
Finally made these today…they were SO SO SOOOO good. I can’t wait to make more!
[…] from Lori’s ABG Raw […]
Lovely! Homemade cereal bars with delicious fruits! This is perfect! Much healthier than the ones we find in the stores. 🙂
hi, I’m tina. Will you be my friend? great. as my new friend you should probably send me some of these bars and take all of my bootcamp classes for me.
thanks,
youre the best
I have just recently discovered my love for gojis… these look redonk!! 🙂
i love making bars with nuts and dates, these are beautiful! gorgeous photos!
This fantastic recipe makes me smile – big time …:-))
These bars look amazing. I’ve never had goji berries before, and not even sure where I’d get them here in Iowa. I’ll have to try with dried fruit instead – or maybe cherry chips! Thanks for sharing.
a lot of little things can make me smile… my mom just sent me a package and that made me GRIN haha 🙂 (i literally just posted about how my mom always knows how to make me smile)
silly little things like sunshine and roses and birds chirping and flowers of any sort all make smile, though. Oh, and stars. I love the stars. (I sound like I’m 5, sorry! But I do genuinely enjoy the simple pleasures sometimes, when I’m not being too crabby to see them)
love the bars, love the post 🙂
<3
n
larabar’s got NOTHING on these bad boys!!
Oh hell no! 😉
Thanks for visiting my blog, I love yours! These goji berry bars look like heaven, literally heaven. I must admit, I think I drooled a little bit haha 😀
Gah, this is brilliant. I love the goji berry and sea salt touch. Your so clever. So much flavor!!! And yea for bootcamp, you’d be an awesome instructor!
Those bars look AWESOME! Love that you can make them bar or ball shape. So fun. And congrats on the boot camp.
Ahh, so pretty! I love anything with goji berries because it makes shooting so much more fun with the bright burst of red berries! Bookmarked 🙂
Ohh, these look chewy and delicious.
Btw, just “liked” your new FB page! 🙂
Children always make me smile 😉
Shopping calms me down!
I’ve wanted to experience with goji for a while. Looks awesome!
Looks so yummy, and great to hear your upbeat voice. The boot camp sounds like an exciting new venture for you.
Giving myself time to be myself makes me smile, but so does being out in beautiful nature, and so does fixing yumminess, and so does snuggling in bed…
Calm? Deep breathing, getting outside, walking, sitting down with pen and paper
way to go on teaching the class!! wahoo!!
As for these bars..yum! I love goji’s but I rarely buy them as they are lots of dolla bills in my town. I’m going to be picking up a full grown goji plant this year and hopefully I can get tons of berries from it!
What calms me? Hmm that’s hard to do HA! I think the number 1 for me is getting outdoors. It humbles me and my thoughts big time!
Gah, these look fabulous. I have yet to make a raw bar but I have been meaning to do it for ages. I am going to do it this week. Mark my text.
How did the bridal boot camp go? Were they screaming in agony?!
My mom calms me down.. unless she is riling me up. And my closest friends calm me down, which is why I call them far too much when I am stressed.
yuuummm…chocolate and berries. Love it. The bars just look so pretty with those bright colors. Looks awesome! hhmm calming to me is having a girl day to myself in my pjs. lol. Or biking out in the canyons. Either one just gives me some peace for awhile. Great job on the workout!
Congrats on the bootcamp! I want more details….
I am not a huge fan of sprouted buckwheat. Did you sprout the raw ones with the shell still on? That’s what I have and I keep trying to lik them, but I can’t. They are too, I don’t know, crunchy for me, I think. Your bars look FANTASTIC though. As always.
Kabocha with mustard every day? Yes, please. In fact, that might be dinner tonight because I have both of those things. Per usual.
Yeah… kabocha with mustard was had last night… and today… 😉
For the sprouted buckwheat- I buy the buckwheat groats (or raw buckwheat, not kashi) and soak them overnight, then put them in a strainer for a day or two- rinsing twice a day. They sprout pretty quickly that way.
Double yes, triple yes… zomg I’ve been waiting for these for what seems like forever. I’m totally making this next weekend. I love that you added sprouted buckwheat. I have a huge bag of goji’s just waiting to be paired with dates + almonds. Also, way to go with the bootcamp!
Who or what makes you smile? I think I’m the happiest when I’m blogging. I usually write with my head held high and a smile on my face.
Who or what calms you? My boyfriend Kevin is very calming. I’m very flighty and he brings me down, grounds me. It’s a nice combination!
What a beautiful combination! You and your boyfriend! I love the you lift yourself up and he keeps you centered and grounded. How awesome. 🙂
You let me know how you like these bars! I’ve been stalking your blog and making tons of stuff from your recipes. 😉
Ooooh those look delish! I didn’t know the sold goji berries on Amazon. Bet they’re actually cheaper there…oy vey. I am going to tryyyy to schedule in a time to make these this week!!
mmm Ive never tried goji berries before!! I really would love to though!! Or buckwheat for that matter haha. These look incredible!
I find myself smiling because of people just in general. Especially working at the gym there are so many different kinds of people walking in and out and I love just watching the fact that people are taking the time to get healthy! 🙂
Usually, yoga is my way of stress release but recently just sitting down with a good book in an epsom salt bath has been my way to relax!
Those bars look wonderful girL! ps. Mailing your granola today! 🙂
Yay!
Working at a gym can be very rewarding… especially when it changes peoples’ outlook on exercise in general.