Chocolate Energy Bars

This is a recipe from Superfood Cuisine by Julie Morris.  It’s extremely healthy and tastes good
too.  The ingredients can be found at Whole Foods (by the vitamins) or your local health food
store, or you can order them online directly from Navitas
Naturals.  Pricey, but you have to figure
you’re eating your vitamins.  I get the dates from Whole Foods or Costco.

1 ½ cups soft Medjool dates
(about 16, pits removed)

¼ cup raw almonds

¼ cup raw cashews

¼ cup cacao powder

3 TB cacao nibs

6 TB hemp seeds

1 TB chia seeds

2 tsp maca powder

1 tsp mesquite powder
(optional – enhances the chocolate flavor)

2 TB of favorite raw nuts or
seeds (I used almond and cashew)

¼ cup of favorite dried fruit
(I used cranberries, cherries, goji berries, and goldenberries)

Grind all ingredients except
last 2 TB of nuts and dried fruit in a food processor until a coarse dough has
formed (may take a couple minutes). 
Pinch the dough between two fingers an dmake sure it sticks together
easily so that bars don’t end up crumbly. 
If the dough is too dry, add a little bit of water, about ½ tsp at a
time and blend again.  Add the last 2 TB
of nuts and dried fruit and pulse several times until just a coarsely chopped,
to give you a nice texture. 

Place a large piece of Siran
Wrap on a flat surface.  I put mine in an
8×8 baking dish (or larger if you double the recipe).  Pour the dough out on top of the plastic.  Wrap it up tightly, then press and pound into
a compact 1 inch thick rectangle.  When
solid, remove the wrap and cut into bars. 
I place mine in the freezer for about 30 minutes before cutting.  Store in the fridge, or in the freezer for
long-term storage. 

For variation, you can add
hemp protein, a tsp of freeze dried wheatgrass powder, or a bit of chlorella to
boost protein and nutrition even further.  
I added wheatgrass and you can’t even taste it.  My kids love these, and so do I.