Remember those blueberry quinoa breakfast bars from last summer? I made them on one of my visits to Vermont, where my mom and I picked a ton of blueberries and we needed to use them up. Funny thing is, today’s recipe comes from the same exact inspiration.

I’m in Vermont. I went berry picking with my Mom. And now I have a ton of berries to use up. Only this time around we’re using strawberries.

The strawberries in Vermont are out of this world you guys. Like I don’t know if it’s just that I’m biased because I grew up here or the fact that they’re getting picked and delivered to the farm stand in about a day, but they don’t hold a candle to the ones you buy at the store.

They’re super sweet, juicy and the color is incredible. This vibrant red that practically makes your mouth water because you know when you bite into one it’s going to burst with delicious flavor.

Just like my other quinoa breakfast bar recipes, these are 100% vegan and gluten-free, and totally healthy. They’ve got everything you need for a balanced breakfast. High in fiber, plant-based proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. And they’re in convenient, ready-to-go bar form!

I did make two slight changes this time around. Instead of quick cooking oats, I used thick rolled oats that I ground in a coarse flour in my blender. The result was very similar, so you can go either way. If you can’t have oats, I imagine that you could also use quinoa flakes, but I haven’t tried it.

The other swap I made was using a chia egg instead of a flax egg. It worked out great and you definitely can’t taste a difference, the only thing I noticed was the color was a slightly grey (since the chia seeds are black).

I have gotten a bunch of questions about using real eggs for the flax and yes, you can totally do that. I would use 2 eggs and if the mixture feels a bit too liquidy, I’d add in some more oat flour.

There have been few other questions on the blueberry breakfast bars, so here are some other swap ideas:

• No hemp seeds? Change them out for chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds.
• No nuts? Use a seed butter instead.
• No bananas? Try unsweetened applesauce in it’s place, but use just 3/4 cup instead of the full 1 cup.
• No coconut sugar? Use another granulated sugar or you could try replacing it with a liquid sweetener (although I haven’t tried this). If you do, I would recommend starting with just 3 tablespoons.

Other than that, these bars are the perfect breakfast or snack to enjoy all summer long. They’re sweet, soft and are totally portable. They’re also delicious smothered in a thin layer of almond butter!

Your turn…

What’s your favorite way to use strawberries? I have a lot on my hands so I’d love to get some recipes ideas from you! Leave me your faves in the comments section por favor

And if you end up making this recipe, or any of the others from the site, and share a picture on social media, I would love it if you tagged @simplyquinoa or #simplyquinoa so I can find them and give them some love!

xo Alyssa

Strawberry Quinoa Breakfast Bars

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

Author: Alyssa Rimmer

Serves: 12 - 16 bars

Ingredients

• 1½ cups rolled oats, ground into flour
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• â…“ cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup hemp seeds
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
• 2 chia eggs (2 tablespoons chia seed meal + 6 tablespoons water)
• 3 tablespoons nut/seed butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (powder or extract)
• 1½ cups chopped strawberries (plus more for topping if desired)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9"x 9" baking sheet with parchment paper and grease the sides with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, quinoa, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and hemp seeds.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the banana, chia eggs, nut butter and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, mixing everything together until fully incorporated. The batter should be moist, but not runny. Fold in the strawberries
4. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
5. Bake on the center rack for 30 - 35 minutes until the bars are golden brown and firm to the touch.
6. Remove and let cool completely in the pan, then remove and slice into squares (or rectangles). Store in an airtight container for 4 - 5 days.*

Notes

* if your bars are more moist than you would like, leave them uncovered on the counter overnight.

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