Can this little square really get you off to a good start in the morning? Yes! With high protein millet and quinoa, these bars are the perfect way to fuel up before work or school, or to re-fuel in the afternoon. And the natural sweetness of honey and dried fruits make them appealing to kids of all ages!

Did I mention how flexible the recipe is? Use your own combo of dried fruits, add nuts or seeds if you like. And if you do not have a nut allergy, you can sub the sunflower seed butter that I use with almond or other nut butters for a totally different taste profile. And these bars are so easy to make that you can whip up several varieties, and forget about boring pre-packaged bars for good!

Protein Packed Granola Bars

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 8x8" square baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the following:
1 cup GF oats
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup currants or raisins
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the following:
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup honey
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Spoon the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until no dry areas remain. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, top with a piece of wax paper just a bit larger than the baking dish, and press the mixture very firmly into the dish, packing it so that no air pockets exist.

Remove wax paper (that was just to keep your hands clean!), bake bars for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan until completely cool. (If you do not wait, they will fall apart!) Cut into squares. Wrap individually in clear wrap for future snacking!

This recipe is linked to Simply Sugar & Gluten Free Sllightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Gluten Free Wednesdays at The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Ok, I know Valentine's Day is over, but I'm still feelin' the love. One of my favorite foodie Valentines this year was from Sunbutter - what a sweet treat to receive a jar of Natural No-Stir Creamy delicousness, packaged with adorable heart-shaped cookie cutters! (Thank you, Sunbutter, for the free product, about which I am happy to blog!). I decided to make a simple cutout cookie that nearly everyone could eat, and they turned out great! This is by far one of the easiest cutout doughs that I've ever worked with. I had some free time on Sunday, so decided to mix my dough, then refrigerate it until I was ready to bake. Monday's festivities didn't allow for cookie time, so the dough chilled until this morning. I wrapped it tightly in clear wrap so that it wouldn't dry out, and I'm happy to say that it was as pliable and moist as when I put it in the fridge. There was; however, an interesting (and shocking!) development...

My daughter, while drooling over the Sunbutter cookie dough resting in the fridge, noticed something green on the dough. How could that be?? All my fresh ingredients, my precious Sunbutter dough, how could something green  be lurking in there?? Instead of tossing the dough, I decided to investigate via Google, and I'm so happy that I did. It seems that those nice folks over at Sunbutter have addressed this issue (read about it here), and basically the chlorophyll in the seeds reacts with baking soda resulting in a green color. This can be remedied by adding a splash of lemon juice or by reducing the amount of baking soda in the recipe. I did notice that this took a day to occur in my dough, so perhaps would not be an issue had I baked on day 1. I also noticed that kneading the dough caused the color to go away almost completely. I'm not bothered by this, and am actually looking forward to utilizing this property in mid-March for St. Patrick's day...a natural green coloring - I love that!

So, here's your recipe for an allergy-friendly cutout cookie that you can share with almost everyone! Enjoy!

Sunbutter Cutout Cookies
1/2 cup Sunbutter spread
1/3 cup brown sugar, (not packed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg or egg replacer powder prepared to equal 1 large egg
2 Tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup white rice flour

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, combine ingredients in order given and stir until a stiff dough forms. If baking right away, wrap dough in clear wrap and chill for approximately 30 mintues, then roll between sheets of wax paper to approximately 1/8-inch thickness, cut into desired shapes, then bake for 8-12 minutes, depending upon the size of your cookies. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then decorate as desired.

If you're waiting a while before baking, I've kept the dough chilled for 3 days with success. Remove the dough from the fridge about 15 minutes prior to rolling out, then proceed as detailed above.

Whipping up a last minute Valentine's Day treat for your sweetie? Try these for inspiration!

Fudgy, truffle-like Fruffles will satisfy the most serious chocoholic!

Chocolate Crackle Top Cookies have an extra bit of sweetness with their confectioner's sugar coating!

Or you may want to try these sinfully delicious Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with a fluffy filling!

And don't forget the Red Velvet Cake!

Join me in the kitchen and try more of my gluten free recipes.  Click here to see all of the recipes I have for you! Living gluten free tastes so good... you'll see!

To receive every new gluten free recipe right in your inbox each week along with my latest “A Side of Science” articles like this one be sure to click here to SIGN UP for my FREE E-LETTER! 

Oddly, this recipe for Date Filled Bars began with thoughts of figs. Fig Newtons, actually. You know those little rectangular cookies that claim to be "fruit and cake"? I miss them. A lot. It is not as if I kept them on hand in my pantry or cookie jar, but if I wanted a Newton, one could easily be had. And this is not something I had ever considered making - some things are just better left to the pros. But I recently made a fig-date conserve to serve alongside gluten-free biscuits we were having for "brinner", and I had just a small amount remaining in the jar in my fridge. And that is when I thought of how much I'd love to have a Fig Newton. A gluten-laden, forbidden Newton. Unfortunately, figs are out of season, and I had no dried figs on hand (those went into the conserve that started this chain reaction of thought). But I always have an ample supply of dates in my pantry - 2 whole dates are often my dessert after a meal - so I thought of a date filling - you know, cook them down with a bit of liquid until they are soft and thick, then pair that mixture with a delicious cookie-like crust on top and bottom. Sure, I know it's a far cry from a store-bought gluten-laden Newton, but by this point, the craving had passed, anyway. I was over it...but since I had dates and was snowed in, I figured it couldn't hurt to make a date filled treat, so here it is...Enjoy!

1 1/2 cups chopped dates
1 cup water
1/2 cup sweet sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 white rice flour
1 cup cinnamon GF granola (you can substitute certified GF oats here if you do not have granola
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)  (I use Camino Cuisine's organic fair trade brown sugar, which has a superior taste - highly recommend it!)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Earth Balance (R) buttery spread (I use soy-free)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 x 8-inch square baking dish.

Prepare the date filling in advance, as you will need some time for this mixture to cool and thicken. Place dates and water in a saucepan and cook (do not boil) over medium heat, cooking and stirring occassionally until dates are soft and the mixture begins to thicken. This will take approximately 15 minutes. When the date mixture is thickened, remove from heat and set aside to cool to slightly warm. I transfer my date filling to a mixing bowl to get it out of the hot saucepan so that it will cool more quickly. Either way is fine.

While the date mixture cools, prepare the crust by combining the flours, starch, granola (or oats), sugar, cinnamon, soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir this mixture with a whisk to blend. Add the Earth Balance to the mixture in small scoops (approximately 1 Tablespoon each), then cut it in with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. Press half of the mixture into your prepared pan, then top with the cooled date filling. Top with the other half of the crust mixture, gently pressing into the filling.

Bake the bars until the edges are golden - approximately 35 minutes. Cool completey in pan, then cut into bars to serve.

Have you heard of them? I bet you have. But have you tried their products? You should!

Just in case you aren't familiar with this producer of gourmet naturals, Bakery on Main is a Connecticut bakery whose founder heard and listened to his customer's requests for healthful, tasty, gluten-free, allergy-friendly options. Bakery on Main bakes their gluten-free offerings in a dedicated bakery and conducts in-house testing for gluten on every batch of baked goods that they produce. 

Bakery On Main produces gluten-free bars and granolas that make you forget about whether or not what you're eating contains gluten and help you remember what delicious bars and granola can taste like!

I was so happy when Christine contacted me requesting a product review - and even happier when my package of goodies arrived! So, let's dig in!

We started with the bars (pictured above), with everyone sampling and making notes on each selection, then I combined and summarized those comments for you below...

The Peanut Butter Granola Bar has an excellent peanutty taste with lots of chocolate and a nice crunchy texture. An all around favorite in my house!

The Extreme Trail Mix Bar may win you over just from opening up the package with a sweet buttery aroma that really comes through in every bite. This toffee-flavored bar is packed with dried fruits and a variety of nuts and is enhanced by its crisp texture. This bar packs extreme flavor into every bite!

The Cranberry Maple Nut Granola Bar really brings the cranberry flavor in every bite, with a sweet maple nuttiness that is sure to satisfy. It seems that everyone kept coming back to this bar and commenting on the intriguing sweet/tart chewiness of the cranberries - yum!

If a more soft and chewy bar is your preference, Bakery on Main offers three Soft & Chewy Gluten Free Granola Bars: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Chocolate Almond, and Apple Cinnamon.

The Peanut Butter & Jelly is enhanced with healthful oats, quinoa, chia and flax seeds and has bits of strawberry throughout for a sweet peanutty bar.

For the chocolate lover, the Chocolate Almond bar contains a healthful mix of gluten-free grains and seeds with excellent almond flavor and mini chocolate chips throughout.

And if you're craving a slice of homemade apple pie, you must try the Apple Cinnamon Granola Bar, and it will be certain to satisfy. With dried apple and a blend of healthful oats, seeds, and grains, and a mild cinnamon flavor, this bar is flavorful and delicious! (This was my favorite!!)

But there's more...Check out all the flavors of gluten-free granola offered by Bakery On Main:

These granolas are fabulous! One of the repeat comments from my family on this line of granola was that they are crisp, yet not hard and too crunchy (haven't you had granola that was overly crunchy?). The cornflakes in a couple of the flavors were a huge hit with us, and everyone had their own favorite, but we agreed that we love them all!

We tried the following flavors (and our comments follow):

Nutty Cranberry Maple Granola - this granola shares that wonderful sweet/tart combination that the Cranberry Maple Nut Granola Bar has, but also has those outstanding little cornflakes throughout!

The Maple Raisin Walnut Granola is full of fruit and nuts, and has a hint of cinnamon. Maple is never a bad idea, but is particularly delicious in this granola!

For a fresh and fruity granola, try the Triple Berry Granola - with its rich oaty flavor and the fresh taste of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, I found this granola to be the perfect addition to my morning Rice Chex cereal!

Along with the Triple Berry Granola, the Cinnamon Raisin Granola contains extra fiber, if that is a consideration in your diet. The raisins in this variety of granola are some of the most plump and juicy I have ever tasted!

And finally, the Extreme Fruit & Nut Granola was tagged "Best Granola Ever" by my gang! Those crispy cornflakes show up again in this one!

I'm including a few additional pics of the granola below so that you can get a good idea of how fabulous these granolas look!

Overall, I love these products. In every single item that my family tasted, we all agreed that there is absolutely no question that Bakery On Main uses the freshest, highest quality ingredients. The flavors in each item really come through as you would expect they should, and you can truly taste the quality and care in these small-batch products. And all of their products are created with healthful eating in mind, containing no trans fats, no cholesterol, no gluten or wheat. They are also dairy and casein free, low in sodium and saturated fat. At Bakery On Main, healthy tastes good!

Thank you to Bakery On Main for all the bars and granolas, and for the opportunity to share this review with all of you!

Happy New Year to all! I truly hope your holiday season was full of joy and fun surprises and that you're off to a fabulous New Year of happy, healthy, gluten-free (and any other "free" you might be) living!

I wanted to share with you my first article for a great little magazine with a publisher who is forward thinking and progressive enough to include information and recipes on the gluten-free lifestyle. I was so honored to produce this article and include a few of my favorite recipes for starting off the New Year deliciously gluten-free!

Check out Up In Cumming online to see the article.

I was so happy to receive - just before the holidays - a box full of goodies from Enjoy Life Foods - producers of all natural snack items that are free of the top 8 allergens. I've used Enjoy Life products before (mainly their chocolate chips since I am gluten, dairy, and soy-free), but had not tried their extensive line of granolas, nut-free trail mixes, and cookies. I was so excited to delve into my big "goody box" and start sampling! I expected great quality and taste, and that is exactly what I got with each and every Enjoy Life product that I tried! Here are some of the items that I sampled and my thoughts on each - Enjoy (Life)!

These cookies are soft little pillows of sweetness, packed with amazing flavor! All 3 flavors that I tried were moist and not crumbly - think "soft baked" cookie. The chocolate chip are very straightforward - a brown sugar flavored cookie with mini chocolate chips. The snickerdoodles were surprising in that they are not what I think of when I think snickerdoodle, but they are no less than addictive. There is such harmony of flavors in this cookie that I am going to call it perfect - it's as simple as that. If you only try one Enjoy Life product, this has to be it. And last, but absolutely not least, the Lively Lemon - oh, my goodness! If you love lemon, you will adore this zesty sweet treat - there are bits of zest throughout, and I am a huge fan of these, which I find make a perfect pairing with a cup of hot tea.  

For an on-the-go snack, Enjoy Life Chewy Bars are the ticket. I have been a faithful fan of the choco-loco for some time, and the sunbutter crunch blew me away. If you cannot consume nuts, this is your faux peanut butter fix, and without tons of fat! I like to have these as a snack with a bottle of water in the afternoon. If you have not tried these, let me caution you: do not be put off by the size of the bars - they are small; however, they are very dense, flavorful, and satisfying. I was surprised that something so small could abate my hunger so well. These are perfect for backpacking, lunches, or long car trips...ok, and I admit, they are also an amazing stand-in for dessert in a pinch.

Granola - I usually make my own, but this product may make me change my mind, especially the VeryBerry Crunch with its bits of real strawberries and burst of authentic berry flavor in each bite. And the Not Nuts trail mixes - oh, my gluten-and nut-free goodness! You will notice that only the Beach Bash flavor is in the picture - the Mountain Mambo never made it to the photo shoot! It was so unbelievably good that my family could not stop eating it. The sunflower and pumpkin seed combo makes these mixes taste and crunch like a trail mix that is chock full of nuts - I had to keep reminding myself that this was a safe allergy-friendly snack to eat! There are dried fruits and chocolate bits in the Mountain Mambo (maybe the chocolate won me over?) and this was so unbelievably delicious that I used it in my favorite scone recipe (Click HERE for that recipe and instead of adding the dried berries, add an equal amount of Mountain Mambo trail mix, then sprinkle a little on top and lightly press before baking).

Now, it's time for you to go out and Enjoy Life for yourself!