Cocoa Pistachio Cups and Probar Giveaway

Featured Ingredient: Pistachios

On any given day, I’m happy to go nuts for pistachios. Pistachios earthy flavor telegraphs its health benefits. It’s the only nut to deliver lutein, a carotenoid antioxidant often found in dark, leafy greens which is stored in the retina where it helps maintain good vision. The verdant nut also contains more blood-pressure lowering potassium than others and is rich in phytosterols, shown to chip away at high cholesterol numbers.

So for good reason, one of my favorite flavors of Probar is the Cocoa Pistachio in their Sweet & Savory line of bars. So chewy and delicious.

As I did in a previous post with their Maple Pecan flavor, I thought I would try to recreate the bar in the trusty muffin tin using many of the same ingredients found in the Cocoa Pistachio one. These no-bake cups of whole-grain nutty goodness are the perfect on-the-go snack or treat after a hard workout. I found rye flakes at my local health food store and I think many well-stocked bulk stores would have them as well. Packed with fiber and magnesium, cocoa nibs definitely add a nutritious punch to these. If desired, you could replace the brown rice syrup with honey or maple syrup.

No time to whip up a batch of these? Well, the kind folks over at Probar would like to award one of my readers with some of their amazing bars to nibble on. 

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post that says “I want to refuel with Probar” along with some way of identifying yourself such as your initials or name and I will use this online tool to randomly select a winner. This contest is open to U.S. and Canadian residents only. I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday September 5th, so if you entered write the date down on your calendar and check back in then for a chance to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. Congrats to jlBarton who was randomly selected as the winner. jlBarton, just use the contact button above to send me your shipping details and I will get some of the good stuff from Probar sent to you. 

Cocoa Pistachio Cups

1 cup rolled or quick-cook oats

1/2 cup rye flakes

1 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup unsalted cashews

¼ cup cocoa nibs

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

Couple pinches of salt

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup almond butter

Add all of the ingredients except the brown rice syrup and almond butter to a food processor container and process until oats and nuts are pulverized. Add brown rice syrup and almond butter and blend until the mixture clumps together.

Divide mixture among 12 to 16 lightly greased or paper lined standard sized muffin cups and press down to firmly pack contents. You don't need the grease if using silicon cups. Place tray in freezer for about 30 minutes to harden up.  Unmold and store in the fridge in an airtight container.