Quinoa Honey Lime Fruit Bars

Contributed By: Adventures in Freeze Drying

This recipe makes about 8 cups of food

Directions:

1. Cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all moisture is absorbed.
2. Let the quinoa cool to room temperature or chill it in the fridge until cold.
3. Add all the fruit to the cooled quinoa and mix well.
4. In a separate bowl, combine lime juice, honey, and mint. Stir until the honey dissolves and the dressing has a thin consistency.
5. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and fruit mixture, then mix thoroughly.
6. Line trays with parchment paper and spread the quinoa salad evenly across the trays. Use dividers to portion into 20 servings before freeze-drying.
7. Pre Freeze when possible
8. Freeze dry (my cycle time was 27 hours)
9. Store in jars for short-term use or in mylar bags for long-term storage

Rehydration:

Not intended, however these can be rehydrated by adding a little bit of water at a time, the fruit will be soft as if it had been previously frozen. 

Notes:

I spread this mixture across two trays and ended up with 40 bars. Feel free to customize them by using your favorite fruits to make them your own!

Nutritional Value Per 1 bar

Calories: 30  Protein: 6.4 g   Fat: 0.3 g   Carbohydrates: 6.4 g   Sugar: 3 g   Fiber: 0.7 g

 Cycle times & rehydration for reference only. Your results may vary.