Fruit & Nut Bars

I adapted this from a recipe on 3FC. These are almost too sweet for my tastes. I was concerned about baking with soy flour and ground flax seed, so I thought I should sweeten it a bit. However, with the tart dried cherries it was a nice balance. I think the next time I make it I would double the cherries and drop the apricots. Oh, and I used Dulce de Leche (sweet caramel milk) that we've had in the fridge since we came home from Argentina many years ago. You could substitute honey, sugar, etc. - or try it without if you're using sweeter dried fruit. The 42g I used was 131cals (7% protein, 16% fat, 77% carbs). It did add a nice caramel undertone that went well with the apple and cinnamon though.

1 cup rolled oats (112g)
1/2 cup dried, non-fat milk (46g)
1/2 cup soy flour, stirred (56g)
1 oz ground flax seed (28g)
2 tsp baking powder (14g) <--- the tsp was heaping, the g weight is accurate
1 tsp cinnamon (5g) <--- same
1 oz dried cherries (28g)
1 oz dried apricots, chopped (28g)
1 oz chopped pecans (28g)
1 oz raw sunflower seeds (28g)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (250g)
1-1/2 oz dulce de leche, warmed slightly (42g)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine dulce de leche and applesauce and mix in well. Spread into parchment paper lined 8x8 inch pan. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 25 mins until browned on edges and well set. (I think it could have gone a few more minutes, but I have a cold 350F oven.)

Remove from pan and cut into pieces. Store in fridge or freezer. I cut this into 8 pieces (2" x 4") which seems a decent size serving.

Calories per serving: 203 (10g protein, 7g fat, 27g carbs, 5g fiber)