My road with protein bars is not new. I gorged myself on the lemon Luna Bar in the early 2000s, tried to convince myself that a microwaved cookie dough Quest Bar was a dessert in the early 2010s, and even consulted in the bar industry in the early 2020s. I’ve run the gamut, but I had never set out on making my own.
I gave up the protein bar about 10 years ago when I made my commitment to eating whole foods for health. I switched my on-the-go snacks for crunchy beans, dried fruits, and nuts. But there is something about having a bar, a handheld, contained, easy-to-eat vessel, that makes life on the go that much easier.
On day 27 of only beans, I first created a bean protein bar. Eleven months later, I live to tell the tale.
This isn’t the first iteration; it might be the 10th. Initially, this quest started as savory, and while I’m a huge fan, I’m not sure how ready the world is. So instead, I’ve created for you all the sweet chocolate chip cookie dough bean protein bar.
It is so stable that it has become a world traveler (SF, London, Cambridge, and Paris) and has been enjoyed by many along the way with no knowledge of beans.
What ispired the perfect bean bar you might ask?
This month I was inspired by sustainability. While there are very few areas of my kitchen that have not had a sustainable makeover, I decided to conveniently take bars out of their packages and into our kitchens with the help of the May Sustainability Challenge from my friends at FoodPrint. If you haven’t heard of FoodPrint or are looking for more inspiration outside of my page in sustainable eating, FoodPrint is truly one of the greatest organizations I know, and I’m deeply honored to work with them!
Recipe:
1.5 cups beans or 1 can, drained and rinsed (I used cannellini beans, but navy beans and chickpeas work great)