Raw Chia Oat Energy Bars

Here is a recipe for a true energy bar that is packed with nutrition, and rivals any cooked and processed commercial energy bar out in the markets.
The bar is made with raw, sprouted oats, prunes, chia seeds, raw cacao powder, cacao nibs, pure vanilla and a pinch of Celtic sea salt.

Let's talk Chia first. The Chia seed or Salvia Hispanica is a mega energy food, packed with protein (it is a complete source of protein containing all essential amino acids), calcium, potassium, iron, antioxidants, fiber, and essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6).
It is an ancient superfood, once a staple of the Incan, Mayan and Aztec cultures.

The Chia seed is extremely hydrophilic, meaning water loving, and can absorb 9-12x their weight in liquid; chia becomes gelatinous when mixed with liquid making it a good seed to use as a binder in raw bars, cookies and breads, to make puddings from, to add to smoothies and other drinks. It can also be ground up to make a chia "flour" to use in raw recipes as well.

There are a number of health benefits that can be reaped from eating chia seeds. These include weight loss, balancing of blood sugar, and intestinal regularity to name a few.

I use the chia seeds in this bar as a binder along with the prunes...so let's get to the recipe.

I soaked a cup of raw, sproutable oats overnight, and then to them added approximately 1 - 1.5 cups of pitted prunes to soak for about 30 minutes. I drained and rinsed the oats/prunes and processed them with the S-blade of my food processor. To that I added about 1/4 cup of chia seeds.
I also added in about 1/2 cup raw cacao powder, a pinch of Celtic sea salt and ~ 1 TBS vanilla. I chose not to add any other sweetener to this bar, though if you wanted it to be sweeter, you could add in 1/4 cup of a raw sweetener such as agave syrup or maple syrup. After processing all the ingredients together, I transferred them to a bowl.
To this, I hand mixed in about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of raw cacao nibs. That's it. Next you need to form the mix into bar format. The best way to do that is to spread it out in between wax paper with a rolling pin to a uniform thickness.

After you get it to a uniform thickness, place it in the fridge, wax paper and all, overnight, to allow the chia to absorb some of the liquid in the mix, and to firm the bar up. The next day, pull it, and cut into bars.
These bars will give you instant energy, I guarantee it. They are slightly sweet from the prune, chewy from the chia, and crunchy from the cacao nibs. I like to store them wrapped in wax paper, in the freezer.
Enjoy! Try something raw today!