Monday, October 10, 2011

Sweet Potato Recovery Bar

Today, instead of staying home to post the next meal plan, I enjoyed the beautiful Midwest weather with my children, sister, and nieces. I will get the next meal plan out there soon, but in the meantime, here's a special treat for you to try. This one's been in the works for a while. Now, after many iterations and modifications, I present to you my very own Sweet Potato Recovery Bar!

The paleo diet, for many, means using nuts, nut butters, and nut flours as replacements for foods we've been used to eating. I love nuts, but I know not everyone likes them, others have nut allergies, and some limit nut consumption to cut weight. Heather Bergeron, from CrossFit New England, recently challenged me to create a nut-free paleo bar. This bar is perfect to help with your post-workout recovery, a great snack to send to school with your kids, and a good option to grab for breakfast on the go. The bar itself contains only a touch of applesauce and some dates for sweetness. You can play around with the amount of coconut oil you use until you find the consistency that's right for you; I prefer it with a full cup.

For the kids (they're a good excuse, anyway), you can add a little dark chocolate to increase the appeal. But for a no-cheat bar, leave it off...you won't be disappointed! You could actually pour this batter into a paleo pie shell and call it sweet potato pie. Or, substitute canned pumpkin for the sweet potato for a traditional Thanksgiving treat.

Thanks to my family, my CrossFit Freedom pals, and Heather, for recipe and taste testing this one for me. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup refrigerated pitted dates, processed in a food processor until very finely chopped (optional)
Dry
1 cup sifted coconut flour
1/4 cup flax meal (ground flax seeds)
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 dash freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt
Wet
1 heaping cup (liquid measure) home-made sweet potato puree (approximately 3 medium sweet potatoes, halved, rubbed with coconut oil, then roasted at 450 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes) OR 1-15 oz can organic sweet potato puree
4 eggs
3/4 to 1 cup coconut oil, liquified
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Topping (Optional)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used E. Guittard 61% semisweet chocolate wafers.)

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.
  3. Combine the wet ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process until light and airy.
  4. If your food processor is big enough, pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and process until just combined. Otherwise, pour wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients, and use a mixing spoon to thoroughly combine. The mixture will be thick. Fold the dates into the batter.
  5. Spoon batter into a 9x13 baking dish or metal pan. Use the back of a rubber spatula or spoon to evenly spread the batter.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. (The toothpick test doesn't work well on these bars since the batter is so dense.) Carefully remove baking dish from oven. 
  7. If using chocolate, sprinkle chocolate evenly across the top. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  8. Remove from the oven and use a rubber spatula to spread chocolate in a very thin, even layer across the top. 
  9. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

29 comments:

  1. Thanks, Trixie! I'm pretty proud of this recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

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  2. Can't wait to try these! I can't have dried fruit due to a histamine intolerance, so I'm delighted by the date-free option. I've substituted sweet potatoes in a cookie recipe with great luck: http://paleothoughts.blogspot.com/2011/09/macasweetcoco-cookies.html

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  3. Pam,
    As you know, I love this recipe!!!!! I have a hard time staying away from it. I think the dates are a must. I need the sweetness. I do use half the coconut oil and it is still great. I have only made it without the chocolate on top. It is so great even without it.

    Thank you as always Pam for the great work!

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  4. Thanks, Sarah! I think you'll like this bar...if you're not opposed to chocolate, it will add a bit of sweetness. I'll be sure to give your cookies a try. Thanks for the link!

    Beth, you are an awesome taste tester and recipe tester! Your suggestions really helped me to perfect these bars. Don't be surprised if I take you up on a cooking day soon! :)

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  5. Pam, I'm always available for testing.

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  6. This sounds amazing. The only thing is, I'm allergic to eggs. I'm going to try it using egg replacer because I'm allergic to eggs, hopefully it still comes out ok. I actually think I have all the ingredients!

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  7. Hi, Megan! Hmm. I've never used egg replacer, but I don't know why it wouldn't work. Please let me know how it turns out!

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  8. Greg, I'll try to whip some up for Sunday!

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  9. We made these today. 10 min prep time. 30 min cook. We did the date option but halved the coconut oil. Very good! Here is the result:

    http://vimeo.com/30924652

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  10. These were fantastic. As a post WOD bar, they were great. I followed the recipe straight up. You and Heather nailed it!

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  11. Thanks for the great feedback, Mike and Dave. Love the video, Mike! This bar is especially nice because, even though it's baked, the recipe is pretty flexible. I like it straight up, but scaling back on the coconut oil still works well. Hope you enjoy them often!

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  12. Can you give us the calories, protein, fat etc. count? This is the recipe of my dreams- THANKS!!

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  13. Had these last night compliments of Heather and LOVED them! Can't wait to make them for the St Thomas gang! Thank you!

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  14. That's awesome, Jenn! I'm really glad you enjoyed the bars and thanks SO much for sharing them with your group at St Thomas. Hope they enjoy them, too! Thanks for the nice post!

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  15. I had these over over at the Bergeron's for desert and they were delicious!! :)

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  16. Thanks, Kevin! I'm so glad Heather is sharing her bars. :-) They are a nice, healthy dessert option--glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know!

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  17. Heather made these for us. I am very impressed! You cant just eat one! I will definitely share this recipe with my friends!

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  18. That must have been quite a party! :-) Thanks so much for the great feedback and for sharing the recipe. I'm so glad you enjoyed the bars!

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  19. Pam,
    I just made these sweet potato bars last night and they are terrific!

    I am rather new to Paleo and still learning where to purchase certain grocery items. My local stores are especially limited in coconut oil. Can you make a recommendation for online vendors?

    Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes, tips and resources! Your blog is fabulous! =)

    Stephanie

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  20. So glad you like them, Stephanie! I order my coconut oil by the gallon from here: http://products.mercola.com/coconut%2Doil/. I love their products. I have also used Tropical Traditions, which is very good. I have found it to be more economical to order online in bulk since many ingredient can be pricey when you buy in small quantities. I am setting up a tab with a list of my favorite vendors. It should be ready soon. In the interim, I've posted a list of links to my favorites in the right column. If you like them and order through the link, I get a commission on it. :) Thanks for the great feedback and best of luck in your paleo journey!

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  21. These look awesome! If my calculations are correct, and the batch yields 12 bars, each bar is about 370 calories (31g carb / 25g fat / 7g protein).

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    1. Thanks, Anon! They are really tasty. We probably get more like 24 bars out of a batch, it all depends on the size you cut them. Give them a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for the post!

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  22. I'm new to Paleo (started July 4) and I made these tonight. They are wonderful!!! They have the same texture as brownies so they definitely help curb my cravings for something sweet after dinner. I'm hoping they freeze well!!

    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I'm looking forward to trying many others on your website.

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    1. Hi, Sarah Jane! Congrats on starting your paleo journey! I'm glad you liked these bars--they are one of my favorites! They should freeze well for you, too. Thanks for the post! Best of luck to you. I hope to hear from you again as you try more recipes.

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  23. What do you think about substituting the potatoes for mashed bananas? I have some that are ready to be used for baking.

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    1. Hi, Sarah. I think if you try substituting bananas for the sweet potatoes, you might want to try either a 50/50 mixture or add some coconut flour to the banana to add some density. If you try it, I'd like to hear how it goes!

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  25. How long do the bars stay good?

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