‘We make snacks from surplus produce. That’s produce that would otherwise be thrown away for being too big, too small, too ugly, or simply too abundant.
‘Tonnes of perfectly good fruit and vegetables get rejected before reaching shop shelves in the UK. We turn that surplus into healthy snacks that contribute to one of your five a day.’
That’s the ethos behind fruit jerky brand, Snact. Wait a minute – fruit…jerky?! That’s right, a snack made from 100% dried blended fruit bursting with natural flavours which also count towards your five a day. Vegan, gluten-free, no additives or preservatives, around 65 cals a bag and made in the UK, Snact packs are available in three flavours:
- Apple & Raspberry – ‘Tangy & punchy, just like you’d expect raspberries to be.’
- Apple, Blueberry & Banana – ‘Superfoodie with its blueberries, exotic with its bananas.’
- Apple & Mango – ‘Sweet & juicy, for mango lovers out there.’
I’m delighted to be working with the brand on some recipe development using these fruity goodies, so without further ado, here’s the first one: A high-energy bar bursting with natural goodness, healthy ingredients and flavour using the Apple, Blueberry & Banana jerky, making an ideal breakfast on-the-go or pre/post workout boost.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons coconut or almond flour (I used Sukrin)
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds (I used Kaizen Living)
- 4 tablespoons flaked almonds (or use pumpkin seeds)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 x packet Snact Apple, Blueberry & Banana Fruit Jerky
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil (I used Lucy Bee)
- 3 tablespoons nut butter (almond, cashew or peanut – I used Meridian)
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 large banana, mashed
- 1 small apple, grated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
Get baking!
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and grease and line a rectangular baking tray.
- Mix together the oats, chia seeds, almonds (or seeds) and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Using clean kitchen scissors, snip the fruit jerky pieces into little pieces and mix into the dry ingredients.
- Gently melt the coconut oil, nut butter and maple syrup in a small pan on the hob. Set aside and leave to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Pour this into the dry ingredients along with the mashed banana, grated apple and vanilla, stirring well to combine. Leave to stand for 5 minutes to let the chia seeds thicken the mixture.
- Now stir in the blueberries and mix in to distribute. Spoon the mixture into your tin and smooth out evenly. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and firm.
- Leave to cool completely in the tin, then cut into 9-12 bars and remove. Enjoy!
Keep any remaining bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Be sure to follow Snact on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram 🙂