Eating a vegan diet isn’t just about eliminating animal products. Although that’s an obvious part of it, it is more about choosing foods that are not only good for your body, but good for the earth. They are inherently eco-friendly eaters and so everyday is earth day to a vegan. Over the last few years, our family has been using more and more earth friendly products and using more and more vegan friendly recipes. I especially love when those recipes are quick, easy foods that have great health benefits and are equally tasty. These banana oat bars are an example of such a recipe. They are simple to make, have a soft texture (but can easily be made crunchy) and are naturally sweet.
banana oat bars
recipe from whole foods
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (I used a mixture of golden raisins, blueberries and cranberries)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 large rip bananas, mashed **
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (opt.)
Combine all ingredients, Press into small square baking dish, bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes or so. Cool in pan. Cut into squares or bars, or use cookies cutters for different fun shapes.
For a crunchy texture – after cutting into bars/squares/shapes, lay out on baking sheet and bake in 250 to 300 degree oven until crispy, an extra 20-30 minutes or so.
**if you’re not a banana fan, you may want to substitute the mashed banana with more applesauce, about a cup.
