I am guessing that Sarah B from My New Roots hardly needs any introduction? She is one of the most inspiring voices on the plant-based recipe scene, always with a smile and a smoothie on hand. Her way of reinventing traditional dishes into healthier versions of themselves is downright amazing. And if that wasn’t enough, she is one of the nicest and most positive persons we have met.

Her long awaited cookbook has the same concept as the blog, but is printed on beautiful paper and with the recipes divided into seasons (five of them!). There are plenty of inspiration for all flavours here and we have lots of dog-eared recipes yet to try. If you enjoy our type of cooking, you are going to love this book. It’s a gem.

I am not sure why we chose to feature this exact recipe, a more colourful one would probably be more representative for the book. I guess we were intrigued by the thought of eating giant shaped cookies for breakfast. The fact that they are vegan and had a can of white beans in them, probably also sparked our curiosity.

Sarah writes that its time to ditch the plastic packaged breakfast bars as they are filled with too much stuff that doesn’t do us any favours. Her bars (or cookies) are loaded with whole-food fiber, protein, healthy fats, real fruit, and as we mentioned above, even beans.

We have already made these quite a few times. They taste really delicious with a hint of orange. Even though they seemed a little crumbly to us at first, they held together very well when baked. We find them perfect to make for a pantry cleaning, as almost any kind of nuts, seeds and dried fruit can be added. We also made one version where we subbed the maple syrup with a ripe banana and two dates. Baby Isac loves them too, and since they are filled with so much good stuff, we love making them for him.

Fully Loaded Breakfast Bars (Recipe from My New Roots: Inspired Plant-Based Recipes for Every Season)
Makes 10 large bars (although we make our bars slightly smaller than Sarah and get 12 bars from one batch.)

1 tablespoon chia seeds
3 1⁄4 cups / 325 g gluten-free rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1⁄2 cups / 250 g cooked white beans, such as navy, white kidney, or Great Northern (about one 15-ounce / 250 g can)
1⁄4 cup / 60 ml coconut oil, melted
1⁄4 cup / 60 ml pure maple syrup or raw honey
Grated zest of 1 organic orange
1⁄4 cup / 60 ml unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup / 60 g chopped unsulphured dried apricots
1⁄4 cup / 30 g  raisins
1⁄4 cup / 35 g pumpkin seeds
2 cups / 60 g organic, non-GMO cornflakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
Combine the chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl, and set aside for 15 minutes to gel.
Pulse 1 1⁄4 cups / 125 g of the oats in a food processor until they resemble a very rough flour. Transfer the flour to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the remaining 2 cups / 200 g oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Pulse the beans with the coconut oil in the food processor until the mixture is creamy. Add the maple syrup, orange zest, chia gel, applesauce, and vanilla extract, and pulse until smooth.
Pour the bean puree over the oats mixture and stir until everything starts to come together. Add the apricots, raisins, pumpkin seeds, and cornflakes and stir to combine—you may need to use your hands at this point.
Shape the dough into 10 equal balls, and then flatten each one into a patty shape. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the bars are golden. Let cool completely before enjoying. The bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.

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PS! We are coming to London last weekend of September for two different events. We will be talking at the Food Blogger Connect conference at Chiswick House on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September. We are also excited to be talking and cooking at the Fare Healthy festival at Borough Market on Sunday 27th September. Check out their websites for tickets and more info.

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