Vegan Orange Cranberry Millet Trail Mix Bars

Summer may almost be over, but hiking season is far from over. As we inch closer to shorter days, fall foliage will soon begin. Even today, trees are beginning to turn yellow. 

Inspired by the mountains and wildflower season, I created a bar made directly from whole foods, millet, a staple grain used in many cultures around the world. 

You can substitute the grain for amaranth or quinoa if you'd like. Many paleo fanatics claim millet is "dangerous," but what they don't realize is that the research that studies African children eat millet several times per day, everyday. Anything done in masses, or as the main part of one's diet, can lead to problems just like fast food in America. 

Short and sweet, here is the recipe below! 

Vegan Orange Cranberry Millet Trail Mix Bars
Prep time: 7 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp coconut oil
1/3 cup uncooked millet
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup dates
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp flax meal (or seed)
1 tbsp orange zest
1.5 - 2 tbsp agave nectar
2 tbsp orange juice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300-degrees. 
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Melt the coconut oil in a pan and cook the millet for 5-7 minutes, continuously mixing. When done, set aside. Add all the ingredients, except for the chocolate, into a food processor and blend until combined. From here you can add the chocolate (as picture shows) OR after baking, melt the chocolate and drizzle it on top. 

Pour the mixture into a 9x5 bread pan lined with parchment paper and press firmly, packing the mixture into the bread pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Let the bars cool and if needed, melt the chocolate and drizzle it on top of the bars. Cut once completely cooled. 

The bars will be crunchy. You can also replace the millet with oats, but even better toasted oats! 

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