Power Bars for May Flowers

April showers bring May flowers, and all those beautiful green hills. With the sprouting of so much flora and fauna, I thought this to be a perfect addition to your spring baking. Many people realize the value of sprouted grains, from shots of wheatgrass juice to sprouted whole grain breads. Cereal grains form a major source of dietary nutrients for all people, and adding sprouted grains to your diet can provide a number of health benefits besides nutritional improvements. Many people don’t realize that daily dietary intake should contain 4 servings of whole grains (check out www. MyPlate.gov for more info). By sprouting the grain, you are partially breaking down starches, which lowers the carbohydrate content. There is research that suggests adding sprouted grains to your diet can promote weight loss and reduce blood sugar. Many gluten intolerant individuals find that they can tolerate a sprouted grain, which is because digestibility of storage proteins and starch are improved during sprouting. Lastly, you should be aware that to make the most out of your sprouted grains, there is a limited period where you receive the benefits of improvement in the contents of certain essential amino acids, total sugars, and B-group vitamins, and a decrease in antinutrients. In other words, more sprouting time does not necessarily mean more nutrients or increased digestibility. The magnitude of the nutritional improvement is influenced by the type of cereal, seed quality, and sprouting conditions, which some believe is not great enough to justify adding it into manufactured foods. We can take advantage of these sprouted grain benefits ourselves by adding them to our own diets. I hope you enjoy these sprouted Kamut power bars! Sprouted Kamut Power Bars • 2 ½ cups sprouted Kamut berries • 1 cup sliced almonds • 1 ½ cups dried fruit • 1/3 cup shredded coconut • 6 to 8 dates and/or 3 tablespoons honey • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Grind the fresh-sprouted Kamut berries into a paste with ¾ of the almonds, ¾ of the fruit, and the salt. This should take 5 to 10 pulses, then scrape down the bowl of the food processor. Pulse again until the consistency is smooth, and a dough begins to form. Add in the remaining nuts, dates, fruit, shredded coconut and honey. Pulse just 2 to 3 times to distribute. Warm your oven to about 150°F degrees but not more than 200°F Place the dough onto a sheet of parchment and shape into 10×8 a rectangle. Top with a second sheet of parchment and them Power bars for May Flowers roll to ¼ to ½ inch depending on your desired bar thickness. Cut into desired shapes and bake on a parchment-lined sheet for 2 hours, until firm edges are slightly crisp, but the top of the bar has a spring and is not yet crisp. I usually flip the bars over after 1 hour of baking and continue for an additional hour. Note: To sprout grains, place 1 cup Kamut berries in a covered container and cover with water for 24 hours. Drain grains and rinse with water. Cover with water again and allow to sit 12 hours; then drain, rinse, and cover daily until the sprouted roots are about the same length as the berry. If they are under-sprouted, they won’t be sweet, if they are over-sprouted (like those top of my photo), they become starchy. Comments or suggestions are welcomed. Please contact Patricia Davis at Information@QuailHollowKitchens.com For more information about Patricia or her cooking classes go to: www.QuailHollowKitchens.com or follow on social media at www. instagram.com/quail_hollow_ kitchens or www.facebook.com/ quailhollowkitchens I will be having a class at Quail Hollow Ranch on April 27th. It is funded through Santa Cruz County Parks. Join the fun at The Science of Bread Intro to Sourdough Bread-Making Workshop Hosted by Quail Hollow Kitchens $75.00 located at Quail Hollow Ranch. Saturday, April 27, 2019 11:00 AM 2:00 PM. Register for address: http://www. scparks.com/Home/RecreationPrograms/Classes/Adults.aspx- ##Pickle