Strawberry Vanilla Crumble Bars

Ingredients

• OAT CRUMBLE:
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup sunflower seeds, raw
• 1 cup dates
• 3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• ¼ cup butter or dairy-free butter, melted
• 1-2 tbsp. water, as needed
• 1 tbsp. sunflower seed butter
• STRAWBERRY VANILLA CHAI JAM:
• 3 cups strawberries, frozen
• 2 tbsp. chia seeds
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F; set aside a 9x9 greased baking dish.
2. Prepare the strawberry vanilla jam by placing strawberries in a medium saucepan and cooking over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes or until strawberries have softened.
3. Mash strawberries with a fork and add chia seeds, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir until combined, reduce heat to low-medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat, set aside and let cool.
4. To prepare the oat crumble, roast the sunflower seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven. Increase temperature to 350°F.
5. In a food processor, pulse roasted sunflower seeds and dates until crumbly. Add 2 cups of the oats, butter, sunflower butter, vanilla and salt. Add water and pulse until mixture sticks together when pressed. Add remaining oats and pulse until combined.
6. Add all but 1 ½ cups of the oat mixture to the baking pan and press until well packed. Spread strawberry jam evenly on top of the oat mixture and crumble remaining oat mixture on top of the jam.
7. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°F. Let cool 1 hour prior to cutting.

Nutrition per serving: 287 calories, 40 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 8 g fiber, 8 g protein, 74 mg sodium, 14 g sugar.

Recipe from: onegreenplanet.com