Pumpkin Craisin Granola Bars

Instead of wastefully composting the small freebie from our Lemos Farm field trip, I decided to revamp my Oatmeal Raisin Bars. This is my first stab at doing anything with pumpkin other than carving jack-o-lanterns, so I'm pretty happy with the healthy results! Pumpkins are extremely rich in Vitamin A and also contain Vitamin C and potassium.

Yield: 8 bars

1 small pumpkin (1 cup and 1 tbsp roasted pumpkin, pureed)

1 tbsp water

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar (1/2 cup if you like it sweet)

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup craisins

1/3 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350. 

Wash and remove the stem off 1 small pumpkin. Slice in half, scoop out seeds and fibers, and place flesh side down on a baking sheet covered with tin foil. Add 1 tbsp of water to the pan, then roast for 40 minutes, or until fork pierces through skin. Let cool before scooping the flesh out with a spoon and processing in a blender/magic bullet to puree. Half of my pumpkin yielded 1 cup and 1 tbsp of pureed pumpkin, so this is the amount I used. 

Combine pureed pumpkin with all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Blend with a spoon until dry ingredients are moist.

Spread mixture in pan (will likely fit an 8x8 pan, but if your pan is larger like mine, spread over half the pan only so that mixture sits about an inch high). Bake at 350 for 25min (or until golden - my oven will burn the craisins if baked for 30min, so adjust baking time accordingly). 

Let cool completely before cutting. I like to saran wrap each bar individually so they are easy on-the-go snacks. Otherwise, store in an airtight container.