Yummy Yam Bars
I’m pretty committed to eating food that tastes great AND is good for me, so I’m always experimenting to get just that combination. Some of the results aren’t too wonderful, but some are keepers. This one, in my opinion, is a keeper, so I wanted to share it with you.
My goal was to create something that was a little bit sweet, but with no added sugar (or worse, artificial sweetener, yuck!). I wanted it to be a finger food, something I could stick in my purse or pack in my carryon when traveling, and that wouldn’t spoil easily. I also wanted it to be fairly filling, with enough calories to carry me through an afternoon, but not so calorific that I’d need to be climbing Denali to justify eating it.
So . . . . drum roll please. . . . . the answer is . . . . .
Yummy Yam Bars!
2 cups cooked yams, peeled
1 large, ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups oat flour (Make your own by processing rolled oats in a blender or food processor)
1 1/2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 – 1 cup raisins
1/2 – 1 cup chopped dates
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Cook 1 large yam, then peel it and mash it into a bowl. Should be about 2 cups. (I steamed it, but you could also bake it. Or use canned yams if you want.)
- Mash the ripe banana with the yam. A potato masher works well, or just a fork.
- Stir in the vanilla
- Make your oat flour by putting rolled oats into a blender or food processor, processing into a flour, and then adding it to the yam mixture.
- Stir in baking powder and salt, mixing well
- Add raisins, dates, rolled oats, and walnuts and mix well. The dough will be thick. Use your hands if needed.
- Spray a 9’ square baking pan with a small amount of cooking spray.
- Press the dough into the pan. If you slightly wet your hands with water, it makes it easy to pat the dough into the pan without it sticking to your hands.
- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
- Allow to cool, then cut into small squares. They’re filling, so cut them into tasty tidbits.
Printable Yummy Yam Bars recipe
Notes:
These bars are gluten free. Oats do not contain gluten, but sometimes oats are processed in the same facility as wheat, so if you are highly sensitive to gluten, purchase oats that are certified to be gluten free.
Feel free to vary this recipe. You could leave out the dates and add more raisins, or try other dried fruit.
These bars freeze well, so if you’re the type to be tempted to eat too many of them at once, just leave a few out to eat and freeze the rest. Take them out of the freezer as needed.
I shared these bars with some of my non-vegan friends, and they were a hit, so they’ve passed the test with people whose taste buds aren’t trained like mine are.
So . . . give these a try and let me know how you like them!
I tried these using 1/2 cup of the nuts, dates, and raisins. Thought they were quite good. No fat and tasty. At first I thought they may be a little dry, but over all, would sure do it again.
So glad you liked them! Mine were very moist, but if you ever think they are too dry, just add a little water to the dough before baking them. My banana might have been bigger than your banana!
I tried these and they were so good that I took a batch to work — and had people wanting the recipe. Nobody could believe it when they found out these are actually good for you, and made without any refined sugar! Thanks for the recipe!
That’s great news! It’s always so good to spread the word that healthy food can actually taste so good!
These are terrific. Everybody in the family loved them. I used the full cup of dates and raisins and next time will try adding some cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice.
I have tried these and they are great! Very filling on so little. I made up a batch and took some (frozen) in my purse when I flew from Tucson to Anchorage. They were my breakfast, snack, and energy bar! And thank goodness, as the flight only offered a chicken breast with a 1/4 cup of iceberg lettuce and tomato slice!
Isn’t it a great feeling to know you’ve got your food covered when you travel? I’ve used these bars for my last couple of trips, too, and I find they stay fresh really well so I can keep them in my hotel room for a few days without them spoiling or drying out.