Another healthy break for us with tasty treats plus an illustrated recipe for you to colour in!  These porridge creations really raise the bar.  Hoho.  A superfood fruity snack you’ll find surprisingly hard to stop eating.  What I love is the background flavour of real banana and orange lurking tastefully behind the delightful assortment of dried fruit, nuts and seeds set in porridge oats.  Then hovering tentatively is the ground ginger, turmeric and cinammon.  All very lightly sweetened with a little maple syrup.  These spiced fruit, nut and seed porridge bars are moist with a slightly crisp shell and they’re a dream come true:  good for you and delicious!  Woohoo!  🙂

fruit, nut and seed porridge bars

THE RECIPE

The bars are based on Jaime Oliver’s recipe for Perfect Porridge Bars from his Everyday Super Food book.  I’ve modified the ingredients, quantities and spices slightly as well as the oven temperature then added illustrations for those of us who appreciate visuals, and of course that isn’t just children or beginners.  Please feel free to experiment with your own mix of dried fruit, nuts and seeds or add alternative flavourings like vanilla or cocoa nibs.

Preparation 

• grease your baking tray (25x25cm or 20x30cm)
• preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (static oven) or 160°C/320°F (fan oven)
• use a food processor, blender or knife to chop the dried fruit and nuts
• previously toasting the hazelnuts and sesame seeds enhances the flavour

Ingredients

• 100g/1 scant cup dried fruit – my mix:  40g goldenberries/physalis fruit (or sour cherries), 40g cranberries, 20g blueberries.  Other options:  figs and sultanas
• 100g/1 scant cup nuts – my mix:  50g whole almonds (with skin), 50g toasted hazelnuts (skinless).  Other options:  cashews, brazils, pistachios or walnuts
• 50g/scant half cup seeds – my seed mix:  20g toasted white sesame seeds, 10g chia, 10g sunflower, 10g pumpkin.  Other options:  linseed and poppy
  
• freshly-grated zest from 1 orange
• 1 and a quarter teaspoons ground ginger
• half a teaspoon turmeric
• a quarter teaspoon ground cinammon

• 1 large orange (around 155g of peeled segments)
• 2 ripe (I prefer not very ripe) big bananas or 2 and a half medium ones (around 160g of peeled pieces)
• 1 and a half to 2 tablespoons (or more, to taste) maple syrup or honey
• water to make up 500ml (about 125ml to add to 375ml of orange/banana pulp)

• 175g/1 and three quarter cups porridge oats
• 10g/1 tablespoon oat bran

Follow the recipe around clockwise – hope it’s not too ‘busy’ or confusing for you.

Once baked leave 10 minutes in the tin then turn out and cool the bars completely on a wire rack before storing.  Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

fruit, nut and seed porridge bars

Illustrated recipe

This is a shortish recipe so we have a bit of extra time.  Yay!  In line with the adult colouring book craze here’s your own porridge bar recipe to colour in!  Thereby getting to know the recipe, relaxing and saving on colour printing.  🙂 There’s a few things missing so please write ‘grease the tin’ next to the baking tray, ’till golden brown’ under the oven and the measurements with arrows around the fruit.And please help yourself to a fruit, nut and seed porridge bar, aka oatmeal or granola bar.  🙂

fruit, nut and seed porridge bars

Farewell sweet healthy reader and hope you enjoy the recipe, colouring and tasty snacks!  Wishing you a lovely weekend, happy baking and eating!  🙂 x

P.S.  Warning/serving suggestion:  always pack two for your outdoor activities as it’s almost impossible to eat just one!  🙂