• 3/4 cup dry quinoa, or about 2 cups cooked

• 1/2 cup dates, pitted

• 3 Tbsp agave nectar

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed

• 1/2 tsp almond extract

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup chocolate protein powder (I used Chocolate Truffle Whey Isolate protein powder by NPower Nutrition)

• 1/2 cup oat flour

• 3/4 cup stir-ins like dry fruit, nuts, shredded coconut, or chocolate chips (see nutritional info above for what I used)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Rinse the dry quinoa in cold water, then let sit in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. In the meantime, bring 1 cup of water to boil. Drain the qunioa and add to the boiling water. Cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 12 minutes. Let cool enough to handle. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cooked quinoa, dates, agave nectar, vegetable oil, flaxseed, almond extract, and salt. Process until relatively smooth (the quinoa is so small, it will stay slightly lumpy). In a large bowl, stir together protein powder, flour, and stir-ins. Fold wet mixture into the dry mixture with a spatula. The dough is very thick, like cookie dough. Pour into baking pan and spread with spatula and press evenly. Bake for about 22-25 minutes, until firm. Let cool, then slice into a dozen bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.