Whenever I try to create a new snack, my main goal – other than to make it utterly delicious – is to pack as many ingredients with high nutritional value into it as possible. I’m a huge fan of oats, so a flapjack recipe was overdue. Oats are a rich source of protein, dietary fibre and several B vitamins and dietary minerals, particularly manganese. Bananas are a great natural sweetener, they contain a decent amount of potassium and provide instant energy. Brazil nuts don’t only taste divine, they are also a great way to get your daily amount of selenium. While some countries – like South America and Canada – have selenium rich soil, in most parts of Europe this is unfortunately not the case. While animals are fed selenium enriched fodder, which leads to meat eaters getting enough selenium through their diet, it can be more challenging for people on a plant based diet. Although the amount of selenium in brazil nuts varies greatly and you’ll never quite know exactly how much you get, they are definitely a good way to contribute towards a healthy selenium intake. Don’t eat a whole bag of them at once though as this could potentially lead to selenium toxicity- I aim for 1 or 2 a day or a couple of these flapjacks.
What you need:
100g porridge oats
50g jumbo oats
2 medium bananas – mashed
4 tbsp vegan butter
1.5 tsp coconut oil
10-12 pecans – roughly chopped
Pinch of salt
Vegan dark chocolate shavings – I used a coarse cheese grater, but a knife works too.
How you do it:
Preheat your oven at 150C (fan) or 180C.
Line a cake tin with greaseproof paper, alternatively a baking tray works too.
In a non-stick frying pan melt butter and coconut oil on low heat.
Meanwhile mash the bananas with a fork, once completely smooth add the banana puree to the melted butter/oil mixture.
Stir until everything is well combined, then add the oats and a pinch of sea salt.
Mix everything and keep stirring for a few minutes until the oats start to soften and the mixture gets firmer.
Mix in your chopped pecans and press everything into your lined cake tin, this won’t fill the whole tin/ baking tray, aim for a thickness of roughly 2cm.
Bake for 10-12mins or until firm to touch.
Take it out of the oven and scatter the chocolate shavings on top, then leave to cool until the chocolate shavings have hardened.
Slice into bite sized squares and enjoy, they keep in the fridge for around 3-4 days.
