Key Lime Bars

My husband and I love anything LIME, so I decided to try my hand at a lime version of a simple granola-type bar.  Not much to them really, but they sure came out good!   And they freeze well, too!  In fact, the lime flavor improves with “age”.  🙂  These would not be suitable until the higher fruits rung of the Atkins carb ladder but are totally suited to Paleo eating.  These are pretty carby, so it’s not something I’ll be eating a lot of or very often.  But I might allow myself one or two for special occasions or holidays.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. Medjool dates (7), pitted

1 c. unsweetened coconut

1 c. almond flour

1 c. sliced almonds

1 c. whole almonds

Zest of 1 large lime

Juice from 1 large lime

Optional:  Sweetener of your choice to taste

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place sliced and whole almonds in food processor.  Pulse until fairly fine.  Add coconut, pitted dates and almond flour.  Pulse a few more times.  Add lime juice and zest.  Taste test and decide if you need to add any sweetening agent.  My husband like lime stuff tart, so he was OK without adding sweetener.  I found the mix too sour, so I added some stevia. You can also use more dates, or even a little raw honey (maybe 2-3 T.), which will up the per bar counts.  Stevia, if you use it on your plan, won’t change carb counts by much.  Pulse a couple more times after adding any sweetener.  With a ¼ c. scooper, scoop out ¼ c. portions of the mix into latex bar molds (see below) or paper lined cupcake pans.  With moistened  fingers, press mixture firmly and evenly into the pans.  I used a silicone bar pan I bought last year.  Bake in preheated oven for just 9-10 minutes.  I left mine 15 and browned them a bit too much.  Cool before storing in airtight container or ziploc plastic bags.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 19 bars, each contains (using stevia):

179 calories

13.84 g  fat

14.20 g  carbs, 3.96 g  fiber, 10.24 g  NET CARBS

4.96 g  protein

4.42 mg sodium

87 mg potassium

26% Vitamin E, 27% copper, 14% iron, 16% magnesium, 30% manganese, 12% phosphorous, 12% riboflavin, 8% zinc