RAISIN THE BAR.

This 2-bite vegan cookie is raisin the bar – with 2g of fibre in EACH bite of these cinnamon raisin chia cookies, your digestive system will be thanking you. Oh, and your taste buds will be yearning for…one more bite. (cliche, but I just had to). Okay let’s get down to the real raisin why I made these cookies – I have a massive sweet tooth!

This is how I satisfy my sweet cravings without feeling guilty:

* Mix it: 1c unsalted popcorn mixed with 1 tbsp dark chocolate chunks, 2 tbsp almonds and 2 tsp of sultanas;

* Grill it: peaches and pineapples… whatever fruit my heart desires;

* Skew it: 1-2 fruit skewers with melted dark chocolate OR dark chocolate covered fruit OR peanut butter and fruit;

* Bake it: homemade high fibre granola bars or cookies;

* Portion it: eat the real deal, but focus on the portion. If things get a little out of control – that’s okay too. Eat it. Enjoy it. Move on - 80/20 rule.

2-Bite Cinnamon-Raisin Chia Cookies

Makes 12 cookies.

Ingredients

2c oats (Gluten Free or Regular)

2 tbsp chia seeds

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2c unsweetened apple sauce

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/3c raisins or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Set a medium-sized non-stick baking sheet (or one lined with parchment paper) to the side.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl, blend together the oil and applesauce. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Add the oat mixture into the wet mixture. Once well combined, add the raisins or chocolate chunks. Mix well

With your hands, roll out 12 oat balls placing each one on the tray. Slightly flatten each ball and place in oven for 13-14 minutes.

Once baked, allow it to cool before enjoying.

**To make this recipe gluten free, I used Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten free oats. To keep the sugar to a minimum, choose either raisins or dark chocolate chips. For the cookies shown above I smeared 1 tsp of Justin’s Hazelnut chocolate hazelnut butter and used only 1/4c of dark chocolate chunks. This recipe provide Calcium 34mg, Iron 1mg and Potassium 46mg.

Nutritional Facts (per cinnamon-raisin cookie with no chocolate)

Energy: 120kcal Protein: 3g Fat: 4.5g (0.5g saturated fat) Carbohydrate: 15g

Fibre:4g Sugar: 5g