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!
nicole says
Your site has helped me so much! It’s tough for little girls to be different and your recipes have made my daughter feel special. We love the chocolate chip cookies!!! LOVE them! (LOL) And I’ll be honest; I’m hoping to win your giveaway because I’d love to have your cookbook but can’t afford it right now (just had a baby and paying for that, BLAH BLAH BLAH). Thanks!
Mary Babcock says
These look really great! I will be making them asap as I am always in need of something that can pack easily.
Maggie says
Oh my Elana these sound so good! I love the looks of them. I think I could even get my kiddies to eat them! I’ve always wanted to make my own Lara bar. I’ll start with yours. And I would LOVE an Elana’s Pantry prize pack :) Thanks Elana. You rock!
Debbie T. says
These bars look awesome, and I love that they have no added sugar. Do they need to be refrigerated—I’m thinking not. Thanks, and hope I win! :)
Amy says
These look yummy. I’d also like to know about storing them and how long they last. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Kristi Isak says
Elana, thanks for this recipe! I love desserts with dates. I also love all your recipes as they use minimal ingredients and so quick to make. As a mom of three little ones and not having much time to cook, I use your recipes a lot! Thanks again.
Carla says
These look great for the kids lunches! They can’t have any nuts at school but I can use seeds of some sort :) (and it will give me an excuse to try some cardamom, which I have been curious about :) ).
Sarah D says
Thank you for this great power bar recipe! I am so excited to make these for my husband, he is always looking for an afternoon snack to get him through the rest of day. Do you know about how long these will last in the fridge? Do you think you could store them in the freezer too?
Thanks again for all the great give aways too!!
Heather says
Looks simple and divine. Loved learning about Pratima Raichur and her beauty ideas via your link.
Brandon May says
I LOVE making raw energy bars. I haven’t tried one with macadamia nuts yet!
Jennifer says
These look yummy, and like they may even be good in a lunchbox at school!