Vegan Lemon Raspberry Bars

A couple of weeks ago, one of my friends was having a party to celebrate her Canadian citizenship and I jumped at the chance to try out a new dessert recipe that I could bring with me.

I considered making a pie or cake, but the downside of one of those options is that you can't exactly test it before serving it (unless you want to serve a pie with a slice already taken out of it), and since the group I was serving were mostly people I didn't know very well, I wanted to make a good first impression!

So I decided that squares or cookies were my best bet, since they can easily be taste-tested first to make sure they're party-worthy (which I happily did with these squares!). Lemon bars seemed appropriate for a late spring backyard BBQ, and to go with the Canadian theme, I thought of adding a red raspberry swirl to the filling (even though it turned out more pink than red).

My next problem was how to make the filling: most lemon bars get their creamy, silky texture from lots of eggs in the filling, but I knew I wanted to make an eggless version. After researching a few different recipes, it seemed like silken tofu would make the best substitute to get the right texture. 

I haven't had a lot of success using tofu in dessert recipes in the past, but luckily with these bars, the tart lemon and raspberry flavours were so dominant that you would never guess the main ingredient was tofu. I tried not to tell the people I was serving them to either in case the thought of eating a tofu square for dessert scared them off! 

I loved the taste of the creamy filling with the combination of lemon and fresh raspberries, and the crust turned out nice and firm and crumbly, almost like shortbread despite being made with coconut oil instead of butter.  I also thought the ratio of crust to filling was just right - the crust was thick enough to support the filling so that you could easily eat these with your hands without making a mess.   

I think these would be a great dessert option for a Canada Day BBQ, or any other occasion this summer!

Vegan Lemon Bars with Raspberry Swirl

My own recipe, inspired by a few other lemon-tofu square recipes

Crust

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole spelt flour (or whole wheat)

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup icing sugar

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Raspberry Swirl

1 cup raspberries

1 tbsp organic cane sugar

3 tbsp water, divided

1 scant tbsp arrowroot flour

Filling

1/2 cup silken firm tofu

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1/4 cup + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from one large lemon)

Zest of 1 large lemon

1 tbsp arrowroot flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8” square pan with parchment paper (leave enough to hang over the edges of the pan a bit) and spray with cooking spray.

First, make the crust: Whisk together the flours, coconut, salt, and icing sugar. Add the coconut oil and vanilla and stir until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Press dough into prepared pan in an even layer.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until firm and lightly golden. Remove and let cool on a wire rack until the filling is ready.

While the crust is cooking, place the raspberries in a small saucepan with the sugar and 1 tbsp of the water and bring to a boil. Mix the remaining water with the arrowroot in a small bowl until smooth. Add this mixture to the pan and stir continuously for another 1-2 minutes, until raspberries have broken down. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the filling, blend the tofu in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add the remaining filling ingredients and continue to blend until smooth again.

Pour filling on top of the baked crust, using a spatula if necessary to spread in an even layer (it should be liquidy enough to spread on its own). Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry mixture all over the top of the filling, and use a knife or spatula to swirl it around a bit (you may not need all of the raspberry mixture - I used almost all of it, which is why my bars look mostly red on top).

Return pan to the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes, until the filling is mostly set. Remove and let cool on a wire rack. Cool completely (I transferred mine to the fridge) before cutting into squares and serving.

Makes 20-25 squares.

This was submitted to Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert and Dogs.

Quinoa Granola Bars

I've mentioned before that I like to make healthy baked goods to take with me to school in the morning as a portable breakfast. When I think about it, I actually can't remember the last time I've eaten a storebought granola bar -  I've learned that making your own homemade granola bars doesn't take much time or effort, and they are almost guaranteed to be healthier and tastier!

I've bookmarked a ton of different variations of granola bars that I want to try, but the most recent version that caught my eye was these quinoa breakfast bars from Eighty Twenty.  I love the idea of incorporating grains and seeds like quinoa into baked goods, because they provide extra fiber and protein to help keep me full for longer.

I modified the original recipe by replacing the egg with mashed banana to keep them vegan.  I also eliminated all of the extra sugar because I prefer my granola bars to be less sweet for breakfast.  For the add-ins, I used dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, but feel free to use your own favourite combination of dried fruit and nuts.

These turned out dense and chewy, kind of like a cross between a muffin and a flatbread.  The quinoa wasn't detectable once they were baked, but helped to bulk up the granola bar.  They had just enough sweetness for me from the banana and cranberries, but if you're not a fan of reduced sugar baked goods, you might want to add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar.

These make a super healthy breakfast or snack, and they're a great way to use up leftover quinoa!

Sugar-Free Quinoa Granola Bars
Adapted from Eighty Twenty

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 a banana, mashed (about 3 tbsp)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Preheat oven to 375° and prepare an 8x8 square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, mix the mashed banana, applesauce, molasses, and vanilla.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the cooked quinoa, oats, cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-14 minutes, until the top feels firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I cooked mine for 12 minutes).

Remove from oven and let cool before cutting into bars.

Makes 6 bars.