Need some brainstorming help. Looking for savory protein bar or recipe?

I normally eat a protein bar in the 4-ish pm hour every day at my desk to keep from having the afternoon slumps.

I've pretty much been through the gamut of what's available commercially. I have one that tastes pretty good to me. But like all others, it is a sweet bar. It's chocolate peanut butter.

I'm looking for something savory. And I'd prefer it to be anything but grains, since I don't process them well at all.

If you're thinking this sounds like jerky, yes, I've eaten it and do like it. But I can't eat it every day since the salt content is off the charts.

Does anybody know of anything like this? :shrug:

I've looked for the same thing myself. I'd like something piquant, maybe with rosemary and citrus, perhaps made with a nut flour. Chewy or crunchy; it could have some dried fruit in it. Could have soy, perhaps. Could have whey protein in it for the extra staying power.

I see row after row of sweet, sweet, sweet energy bars and protein bars. Nope. No thanks. I don't want that taste.

If they make it, people will buy, I think. Kasha ought to try it.

but I don't see anything. But I do see plenty of people complaining about this very issue: Bodybuilders, Long-Distance cyclists...

There is definitely a market opportunity here. Flavors I want to see:

- Salty (medium so)
- Hot/Peppery
- Pesto (suggested on an exercise blog)
- Garlic would be good
- Curry
- Tomato/basil perhaps


Your rosemary would be good too.

....like pistachio or pine nut.

I normally think of mint as a sweet compliment, like mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Perhaps a Thai flavored one... with peppers, mint, and lime would be good.

Because Greek food often has mint in it. As does other Middle Eastern stuff. Mint-oregano-parsley etc. But Thai would be very good, too. Trader Joe's has a peanut mix that is Thai seasoned, and it's very addictive.

My beloved Tabouli for one.

Hmm.

I'd try a combo of Almond or Hazelnut flour, Oats (I'd process a bit to make it a bit finer) , whey protein, a little EVOO and Egg white to bind and what ever savory flavor you prefer. I think Rosemary and Kalamata Olive would be good with maybe a touch of sundried tomato. Maybe use a regular bar recipe and remove the sugar.

I'm also thinking you may think about trying a Foccacia recipe substituting flour with nut flour/whey protein. It would be breadier than a bar but may get you a little closer to what you want.

I'm grokking you, EoA.

Thinking...

Darn you...I've been thinking about this since yesterday and may have a few ideas to try. Can you do Oats? They metabolize a little better than Wheat. You may also be able to substitute the Oats with some Uncle Sams Cereal which is low glycemic but I think still has some wheat it it. Have you found any cereals that are ok for you? Have you tried Garbanzo flour yet?


I'd substitute the Oat bran with Soy flour
I'd substitute the flour with Almond flour
I'd substitute the brown sugar with Pumpkin or cooked Beans (I'd put the canned pumpkin in a collander and let it drain really well--You want it as dry as possible)
I'd reduce the yogurt to compensate for Pumpkin wetness
Remove the cinnamon, vanilla and chocolate chips and substitute with spices of your choice



http://homecooking.about.com/od/miscellaneousrecipes/r/blsnack13.htm




Nonstick spray
1 cup soy protein powder
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 2/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups plain or vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for a glass pan). Lightly spray a 9- by 13- inch baking pan and a baking tray with nonstick spray.

Mix together the protein powder, flour, oats, oat bran, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Crumble in the brown sugar, rubbing it with your fingers to break up any clumps. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Measure the yogurt, oil, and vanilla into a second bowl, stirring until well combined. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix patiently until thoroughly blended. (You may have to use your hands -- it will be a thick batter, verging on a dough.)

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, patting it evenly into place with your hands. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and cut into bars of any size or shape. Place the bars on the prepared baking tray and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden around the edges. (For extra-crunchy bars, turn off the oven and leave them in there for up to 45 minutes longer.) Remove the bars from the oven, and place them on a rack to cool.

Eat the bars within a few hours, or seal them in a heavy zip-style plastic bag and store in the freezer. For maximum crispness, "refresh" them in a toaster oven after defrosting.

Yield: About 20 medium-sized bars

:thumbsup:

I will have to play around with this over the weekend.

Re: Egg whites: I'm toying with possibily doing something with them being more like a baked meringue with other fillings and seasonings... maybe. Or possibly a nugat consistency.

Splenda, egg white, vanilla and hazelnut or almond flour/meal...

Or

Egg white, Splenda, unsweetened coconut OMGoodness.

make your own jerky and make it low sodium.

There was a thread here earlier about making jerky that had some good suggestions.

I used to make jerky a couple of times a month for an old boyfriend. Freeze your meat, slice it very thin, marinate it and then dehydrate it. You can mix your own marinade in a wide variety of flavors. Half the fun is experimenting with the flavoring. If you mix small batches of marinade then you can get multiple flavors in each batch you make.

Now I'm wondering about a biscotti of sorts. No grains. Few carbs. Savory. I'm going to play with it when I get a day free. I actually have a commercial kitchen available where I could make something to sell if a recipe could be developed.

Olive oil or nut oils, nuts, nut flour, whey protein, herbs, dried things like citrus peels, dried tomatoes, whatever. Seems to me that the kicker would be the binder.

Mmm. I just wondered what a curry bar would be like. Coconut, etc. Yum!

I seem to recall you can add a can of drained blended cannellini or black beans to a brownie mix and they will come out. Can beans bind? I'm gonna look for the bean/brownie mix recipe

OK in this recipe the egg is the binder.... Gotta try these though with Splenda of course!


Ingredients
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
Directions
1Mix ingredients together in a blender/ food processor until pureed.
2Pour into a greased 8x8 cake pan.
3Stir in some chocolate chips and nuts, or leave plain.
4Bake 350 appx. 30 minutes.
5Let cool completely before cutting.

http://www.recipezaar.com/255239


What if you made these without the cocoa...Add some nut flour to replace the cocoa and add savory spices. Would the missing sugar impact the result?

And If you just want to use a brownie mix with the beans here's how

http://www.qualityhealth.com/psp/c/black-bean-brownies/blogs/Theresa%20Stahl,%20RD,%20LDN/E_5541_20080108_2112/E_5541_20080108_2112/viewBlogEntry.jspa

There's an idea. :thumbsup:

I bought garbanzo bean flour and hazelnut flour at the store this evening so I'll have a go at a batch over the weekend.