Tardy for the Party!

Please excuse me – I feel like I’ve arrived tardy for the party. I have no idea why it has taken me this long to try the infamous Lara Bars, but now that I have I can say with confidence that I am completely hooked.


Doing a quick Whole Foods run the other day, I saw these puppies and decided to give them a whirl after reading about them on some of my favorite blogs (including Tina’s post on Carrots N Cake and Katie on Chocolate Covered Katie.)

Boy was I not disappointed. I barely made it out of the store before I ran back and grabbed a few more flavors including Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cherry Pie and Carrot Cake.

By far the best thing about these bars is that they are so pure. Being allergic to soy has been my main reason for abstaining from eating anything out of a package – believe it or not, everything from cereal to bread has a ton of soy products in them! But not Lara Bars – most bars have less than 4 (yes, you read that correct, FOUR) ingredients.

They are perfect for anyone with food allergies OTHER than nuts as that is usually one of the main ingredients. They are gluten free, soy free, dairy free, vegan and kosher! They taste so delicious you will never know you’re eating something that is actually good for you.

In fact, the Lara Bar has become such a phenomenon that a lot of people out there have begun making homemade variations of the tasty treat. I found this recipe on Chocolate Covered Katie and I think I’m going to give it a whirl!

Ingredients:
• 1 c walnuts (120 grams)
• 1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (230 grams) (If you want a sweeter result, up the proportion of dates.)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder, depending on how much chocolate flavor you want

Directions:
1. Chop/blend all the ingredients, using a food processor, Magic Bullet, etc. (No need to blend the dates first; I just blend everything all at once.)
2. Roll into cutey-pie little balls. (Use plastic wrap if you need to.)

Food for thought (sorry for the obvious pun!) - Have you ever tried a Lara Bar? If so, what are your favorite flavors??