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!
Stephanie says
These looks yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Cindy says
I would also like to try this recipe with figs instead of dates. I actually like dates but they don’t like me. If anyone tries this recipe with figs, please let us know how it turns out.
Arthi says
I am a fan of your recipies and your muffins are a staple in our house. We especially like cinnamon bun muffins. It funny, you should mention “Chawanprash” .We celebrate a festival called “Diwali” (its coming soon in oct/nov) and usually on that day we make a lot of sweeta and savouries. Chawanprash is also made that day, to help digest all the rich foods that are eaten in that period. Apart from digesion, it is good for overall well being. I will be making some of that soon.Nice to see the name mentioned here. :-)
Kristy Law says
Great recipe–sounds like the LaraBars my kids like to snack on, but homemade is even better than storebought! BTW, I just made your lemon kale chips recipe again yesterday–my favorite snack.
Chris & Kate says
We’ve just gotten back into the routine of making our own bars and granolas. Our 3-year-old can’t get enough of them–thanks for a new recipe to try!
Beth says
These spicy bars sound great, and will save me money by not buying Lara Bars from the store.
Also just found a great price on 2 kg of dates. Woo-hoo!
Mayness says
These sound really good – I love anything with dates, and anything with macadamia nuts!
Rebecca says
Wow this recipe looks great! I will only buy these kind of bars for my kids once in a while because they are so expensive and just laying in their plastic wrappers for I don’t know how long, yuck. Thanks again Elana!
Lauren says
Elana, your food is wonderful! I have recently become gluten-free and your website has become my go-to resource for recipes. I can’t believe how much I’ve come to adore cooking (and especially, baking). Not to mention, as a Fine Arts major, the eye-candy photos you provide with every recipe is great incentive :) Thanks for the inspiration!
Shannon says
Sounds fantastic and easy to make. About how many dates is 1/2 cup? We are always looking for “healthy” snack ideas for the kids and hubby…and I will certainly give these a try.
Thanks!