Protein Bars

After an annual checkup where my doctor continually insulted me by pointing out how old I was getting (his bedside manner is horrible!) I decided I needed to find healthier food options. I was watching Good Eats one night and saw Alton Brown make this recipe for protein bars. You can find the more obscure items in a health food store or a really good grocery store (down here, I find everything at HEB).

Ingredients
4 ounces soy protein powder, approximately 1 cup
2 1/4 ounces oat bran, approximately 1/2 cup
2 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately 1/2 cup
3/4-ounce wheat germ, approximately 1/4 cup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces raisins, approximately 1/2 cup
2 1/2 ounces dried cherries, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces dried blueberries, approximately 1/2 cup
2 1/2 ounces dried apricots, approximately 1/2 cup
1 (12.3-ounce) package soft silken tofu
1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice
4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/2 cup packed
2 large whole eggs, beaten
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
Canola oil, for pan

Directions

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat with canola oil. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the protein powder, oat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ, and salt. Set aside.
Coarsely chop the raisins, dried cherries, blueberries and apricots and place in a small bowl and set aside.
In a third mixing bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth. Add the apple juice, brown sugar, eggs, and peanut butter, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine after each addition. Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

They're pretty good, and you can vary the ingredients somewhat based on preference. Kristen didn't like the peanut butter flavor, so I substituted Nutella (which tastes MUCH better!). Yes, it raises the saturated fat content, but not a lot (maybe only a few percent). The cost is a little high at first because the soy protein costs a bit, but it will last for many batches. Depending on how quickly you eat them, you might want to freeze some (the first time I made them, the last few went bad).

If you look this recipe up on the Food Network website, some of the commentors suggest some interesting alterations. One day I'm going to try adding a dash of cayenne pepper!