Matcha Power Bars Recipe (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)

These Matcha Power Bars are a sample recipe from Power Vegan Meals: High-Protein Plant-Based Recipes for a Stronger, Healthier You by Maya Sozer.

Maya knows it can be difficult to get proper nourishment with a “high-powered lifestyle.” So she created this cookbook that focuses on “clean” proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats for sustained energy. It’s filled with 75 “powerful” recipes for quick meals, in-between snacks, and even desserts. And I love that she focuses heavily on comfort food AND internationally-inspired flavors.

Additional Notes about Power Vegan Meals

Here are some more tidbits about this cookbook that I found interesting.

All of the recipes in Power Vegan Meals are plant-based and vegan, per the title, but they are also gluten-free and soy-free.
For Maya, a high-powered lifestyle translates into high-powered equipment to provide some convenience. She recommends arming yourself with a food processor and high speed blender (the one pictured is what I own and a great value!) for this cookbook. As you can see, the Matcha Power Bars recipe below uses both.
Every recipe includes nutrition facts with calories, fat, total carbohydrates, fiber, and sodium. It also includes cholesterol, which seems a little unnecessary (all are 0 mg since cholesterol isn’t found in plants). However it doesn’t include sugars.
Power Vegan Meals contains many light meals, but it also has some very hefty ones. Don’t get too hung up on the nutrition facts as written. You can scale the serving size up or down based on your dietary needs. The Matcha Power Bars below, for example, can be divided into 8 bars for a lighter meal or snack.

Special Diet Notes: Matcha Power Bars

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, plant-based, vegetarian, and optionally paleo.

Matcha Bars with Cacao Nibs

Prep time

20 mins

Total time

20 mins

I often find myself having a nice dessert for breakfast simply because, why not? Once you are in the realm of delicious, fulfilling and perfectly nutritious desserts, there is no going back. What makes this one special, of course, is the matcha (green tea powder). Matcha is considered a powerful superfood and a great source of antioxidants. (Please note that the Prep time does not include chilling; it is hands on time only.)

Author: Maya Sozer

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

Crust

1⁄2 cup (68 g) roasted hazelnuts
3⁄4 cup (110 g) raisins
Pinch salt

Filling

1 teaspoon (2 g) matcha powder
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) almond milk beverage
1 cup (140 g) raw cashews
2 tablespoons to 1⁄4 cup (30 to 60 ml) maple syrup
2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup (30 g) cacao nibs

Optional Topping

2 ounces (55 g) dairy-free dark chocolate, melted

Instructions

In a food processor, combine all the crust ingredients and process until it starts to get a sticky consistency but doesn’t turn into a dough; make sure to leave some texture.
Line a cake pan or container (approximately 5 x 7 inches [12.5 x 18 cm]) with parchment paper and spread the crust mixture on the bottom. Place the pan in the freezer to chill while you prepare the filling.
In a high-speed blender, combine all the filling ingredients, except the cacao nibs, and blend them until smooth. Stir in the cacao nibs with a spoon and spread the filling over the crust.
Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
I decorated mine by drizzling it with melted dark chocolate. Be careful not to heat the chocolate too much, though, to avoid melting the filling.

Notes

This recipe with photo is reprinted with permissions from Power Vegan Meals by Maya Sozer.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 565 Fat: 39g Carbohydrates: 55 g Sodium: 44 mg Fiber: 6g Protein: 11g