Beet and Spinach Orzo

So I have to admit I haven't been stellar at keeping up with Meatless Mondays, but we do have a lot of meatless other days. I feel like I've significantly reduced our meat consumption, which is the end goal anyway. And now that the chickens are laying we can get a lot of our protein from eggs. I got some tasty beets from the farmer's market and wanted them to be the star of something. I found this recipe on Food52, I know, I'm on there a lot, but I had this recipe saved and decided to make it last night.

Easy as No Bake Vegan Granola Bars

I don't know where the expression "easy as pie" came from, but making pie isn't exactly easy. However, I'll tell you what is easy, this granola recipe by Gena Hamshaw.

I've tried to take my own advice and start snacking on healthy things throughout the day, rather than just eating a container of leftover dinner from the night before. This recipe caught my eye because of the "no bake" factor. The last time I attempted baking granola (late at night) after hours of super low temperature baking, I took it out and was immediately puzzled by the fact that it wasn't hard and chewy. Oh, impatience, you strike again.

Do you want your granola ASAP? Quick, to the cupboard! I used:

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 cup of sliced almonds
1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cups almond butter

1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup agave nectar (adjust based on how well things stick together)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt (adjust based on which nut butter you use)

Mix the nut butter and agave separately at first to get a homogeneous mixture. Then stir everything together and shape it into a square on a wax paper lined baking sheet. 

Pop in the refrigerator for an hour, or so, to harden it up before you cut it into little bars. I got about 16 bars from this square.

Healthy snack accomplished! They are a tad sticky and if you hold them in your hand for too long they start to fall apart. But if you're holding onto granola for that long you deserve to get messy ;)

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 bars
Amount per Serving: Calories 123, Calories from Fat 83.4

Total Fat 9.27g

Saturated Fat 0.93g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 10.76mg

Total Carbohydrate 22.91g

Dietary Fiber 2.71g

Sugars 9.25g 

Protein 4.48g