Care Package #32: Whole Food Bars

I have been wanting to try this recipe for months, but I kept forgetting to soak the almonds the night before. Well, I finally remembered and I love the way these bars turn out! The other nice thing, especially considering the heat wave we've been having, is that they are made in the food dehydrator instead of the oven.

Whole Food Granola Bars

2 C raw almonds
1 C applesauce
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 C water
1.5 C dried figs
.5 C dried cranberries
.5 C chopped prunes
.5 C raisins
.5 C chopped walnuts
.5 C whole wheat flour
5 C old fashioned oats
honey or molasses for sweetener

Soak almonds in water for at least 6 hours. Remove almonds skins and drain water. In a blender combine almonds, applesauce, cinnamon and water. Thoroughly process the mixture then pour into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix. Plop 1/4C of dough onto parchment-lined dehydrator trays. Flatten to about 1/2inch thick and shape into bars. Dry until bars are hard, allow to cool, then package.

You can use any combination of dried fruits or nuts that you'd prefer. I'm going to try this one again, but replace the applesauce with mashed bananas (and maybe even another batch with peanut butter!). Enjoy!