Rice Almond Bars

(Photo via Homesick Texan)

Back in the days when we first moved to Tucson, we'd make frequent trips to Los Betos whenever we were in the mood for some good fast Mexican food. So bad, I know but I was always looking forward to a favorite traditional beverage--the Horchata. So. Darn. Good.

I haven't had it in forever and out of the blue, I was beginning to crave it recently. Instead of heading to a fast food restaurant for the sugar-spiked drink, I decided to do it the homemade way so I can adjust the amount of sugar I want in it.

If you ever make homemade Horchata, the recipe would tell you to discard the strained rice-almond sediment. I couldn't get myself to throw it away. No way. The rice and almond combination provides for a good balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat--ideal for fueling your metabolic needs. The cinnamon-almond aroma was amazing and it would be a shame to let something amazing go to waste. I knew it had to taste well in some form of snack bar.

I searched everywhere online for a recipe that would use up the rice-almond leftovers and came down to no luck. It was time to improvise.

Rice Almond Bars

• 1 1/2 cup rice-almond leftover (from Almond Horchata recipe)
• 3/4 cup Mejool dates, coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x6 baking dish.
2. Wrap dates in a wet paper towel, place in a small microwave-able bowl and heat until softened.
3. In a food processor, add rice-almond, dates and oil. Blend until well combined.
4. Add agave or honey, cinnamon and salt. Blend.
5. Remove from food processor and stir in oats, almonds, raisins and shredded coconut.
6. Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly so it sticks together.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until edges are golden brown.
8. Cool for 20-25 minutes then cut into bars.

Interesting taste. Just like Horchata condensed into solid form bars! The recipe might need some tweaking since this is the first time I've came up with something like this. I didn't add raisins but I think it would taste better with it along with some cashews (unprocessed) to balance out the coconut flavor and make it slightly crunchy. Make in advance, individually cling wrap them so it sticks together and store in the fridge for easy grab-and-go convenience.

(via Vittles and Bits)

The Almond Horchata recipe was yummy but for me, I prefer it semi-sweet. I'll be adapting the recipe next time--substitute brown sugar for agave along with an extra cup of water. Or maybe just coconut water!