I’m eating one of these Spicy Power Bars as I type this. I’m slightly obsessed with them. Because they remind me of my past.
About 20 years ago, when I was living in New York City and had just hooked up with my adorable husband, I became very interested in Ayurveda. One of the amazing practitioners that I learned from, Pratima Raichur, had created her own version of a healing tonic, referred to in Ayurvedic circles as chyawanprash. Her product was called Bindi Chywangrans and it was delicious. My friends used to ask me what it was and I would tell them it was a special, healing, energy supplement. They teased me a lot about it!
Fast forward to the present. About a month ago, I found some interesting looking energy bars in downtown Boulder. I bought one and ate it. It kept reminding me of a taste from my past, though I could not quite put my finger on it. Finally, I realized that this bar tasted like Bindi!
Being the tinkerer that I am, I decided I would recreate the Nude Nutritionals Food Bars to taste even more Chwanpransh-like and my bindi bars were born thanks to Pratima (owner of Tej Clinic) and Nude Nutritionals (creator of the fabulous little grab and go bar).
Here’s my recipe for a super nourishing, delicious, tri-doshic power bar.
Spicy Power Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup macadamia nuts
- 1 cup dates (remove pits)
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Place nuts, dates and cherries in a food processor, pulse until well ground
- Pulse in vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and salt
- Remove mixture from food processor and press into a 8 x 8 inch baking dish
- Refrigerate overnight (6-8 hours)
- Cut into squares and serve
Note: You may want to try my other Power Bar recipe made with almonds!
Update: several readers have commented below that this recipe was not yielding enough to fill the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. I remade this again today and realized that I needed to double everything, so that it filled up the entire pan –when I was testing this recipe I was smooshing different batches of each version into half a pan. So, you will find that every ingredient has doubled (except for the vanilla). Sorry for the mixup! (This is what happens when you write recipes at 2am!)
I found out only yesterday that my book is now in its 5th printing just about a year after publication. Over on Amazon.com I have received quite varied reviews and I appreciate them all 94 of them, especially this one. If you’d like to add your two cents to the conversation, head on over to Amazon.com and leave a review. It doesn’t matter how many stars you give me, what’s important is to join the chat. Thanks everyone!
Dominika says
This combination of spices sounds amazing, I cannot wait to make these!!
Thanks :)
P.S. I love your cookbook, I get rave reviews no matter what I make.
Kaitlyn says
Sounds great! This looks delicious. Thank you for all of the work you put into your recipes Elana! You are an inspiration to us all!
aimee says
can’t wait to try these, love your book!
Caitlin says
mmmmm… these sound delicous! Great idea! :)
Molly says
These are perfect spices for the season! I can’t wait to make these with the figs I get from Peru! Thank you Elana
Molly says
and my figs, I mean dates :) oopsey!
Janice says
I’ve been looking for a snack bar that’s different from the norm; I’ll have to give this a try!
Helen Grayson says
Elana, just found out I can’t digest nuts. What can I substitute the nuts with in your power bars?
Trinka says
Try Sunflower or pumpkin seeds for the amount of nuts and possibly sesame seeds or tahini (sesame paste) instead of nuts.
Sharon says
I am new to this gluten free world which is easier than I thought but not using eggs to hold things together? Whatever I have tried, has remained crumbs. I have tried many of your other recipes you have posted and most are wonderful.
Paula says
I’m having the same problem. My husband is on this diet, so I thought this would be good to take on our train trip. It is still crumbs even after 2 days in the frig. It will be a good topping for yogurt though.
Jennifer says
Oh, yum. Think I’ll pick up the ingredients for this and give it a try later. Thanks for the inspiration!
Jenny B says
Elena, I love watching how much fun you have with food. It is one of my passions, as well. I have never heard of these healing tonics before, so I am looking forward to finding out more, and trying these bars!