Over the weekend, I was talking to a friend who I hadn’t seen in a while. She was asking how the “vegan thing” was going and I was commenting on how much more energy I have now. Looking back on the past week, it’s crazy how much I’ve managed to get done. So much more than I ever used to.
I wish I was disciplined enough to keep a journal. It would be interesting to take a look back at a few years ago. To compare notes on how I felt then compared to now. It’s easy to forget. People ask me all the time if I plan on sticking with this.
It’s been over a year and right now, and I see no reason not to. Not to get all kooky, but I’m a believer in the many ways that a plant-based diet can serve as medicine to our bodies and our minds. Don’t knock it ’til ya try it!
The other thing people ask me all the time (besides inquiring about my protein and calcium sources) is “What do you eat?”
Now I admit, where we live, it’s challenging to eat out (unless we go to Grand Rapids, which has quite a few options). But as far as eating at home, there are about a billion options if you’re willing to make the time. Often, I just refer people to my blog. There, that’s what I eat.
Things like Blueberry-Oat Breakfast Squares, which are both vegan and gluten-free. And delicious and filling, too.
While this recipe’s original title is Blueberry-Oat Bars, I re-named it because a) to me, a bar should be utensil-free (which this is not) and b) this screams breakfast. It would make a great brunch-time baby/bridal shower menu item.
Or if you want to serve it for dessert, add more sweetener and/or a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream with each square. Don’t mistake this for a blueberry crisp, though. It doesn’t have a crunchy/crispy texture… it’s more of a baked oatmeal texture. All you really need to know, though, is that it tastes great.
If you’re like anything like Hubs, this recipe won’t be sweet enough for you. To me, the mildly sweet flavor is perfect for breakfast. Refer to the directions for ways to make it sweeter if that is your preference.
You’ll want to use an 8″ square pan for this recipe. Any bigger and you won’t have enough batter for the two crust layers. Any smaller and the crust layers will be too thick and the blueberry filling will get lost. For snack-size, cut 16 squares. For a hearty breakfast-size, cut 9 squares.
Oh, and definitely serve this warm! It’s okay served cold, but it’s much, much better served warm.
By the way, I found this recipe on Susan Voisin’s very popular blog, FatFree Vegan Kitchen. Susan is a rockstar. She lost over 100 pounds when she went vegan and learned how to cook without added fat. Her blog is an EXCELLENT resource for healthy, oil-free vegan recipes.
Plus she includes the nutritional info, too! If you’ve searched for vegan recipes on the web, you’re likely already familiar with FatFree Vegan Kitchen. If you’re new to vegan cooking/baking, go check it out–you’ll find tons of great recipes.
What’s your favorite vegan breakfast food?
These look sooooo good. printing recipe now.
Breakfast can be challenging for someone eating GF, especially someone in a hurry. Making these for Nick this week…thanks Livvy!
This is my absolute favorite recipe of Susan’s! In case anyone is wondering, I have used a small bag of frozen organic blueberries in place of fresh and the bars turned out just as delicious.
I was just about to ask if frozen blueberries would work, so thank you!
These look delicious, love how thick they are! Toooo many options to choose from as far as favorite vegan breakfast goes. And you’re right, there are billions of options for vegans!
Hi Livvy! These would be a perfect alternative to those 365 Brand Blueberry Bars I buy for my boys. They love them and I’ve always wanted to find a way to make a homemade version and these look pretty darn close. Thanks!
I get asked what I eat a lot too! This bars would be great to take as a snack to classes. And they would be super cute at a party presented in tiny squares with a fresh blueberry on top
i’m happy to hear your loving the vegan life! i agree with you, before i was vegan, i was always tired and it was so hard to get anything accomplished. nowadays, it can be quite rewarding to look at a day or week and think “wow! i’m such a great multi-tasker!”
these bars look so gooey and beautiful and delicious. i love the lack of sweetener in there, too.
These look so good – our whole family will love them! I’ll be making them tomorrow. May I please ask what kind of agave you use?
I feel like I always get asked what I eat..salad? Oh heck no! I eat these!!
This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to try it! What would you recommend I use as a replacement for the apple juice (I try to not eat processed sugar)? Could I use water or increase the amount of Agave or Maple Syrup I use? Thanks.
Hi Minda. I used 100% pure pressed apple juice, not from concentrate, no added sugar. I haven’t tried the recipe any other way, so I can’t say for sure if it would work, but I don’t see why not. Since nectar and/or syrup are thicker than juice, you may need to add some water if the mixture is too thick.
Wow!! This looks amazing!!! What a wonderful recipe :-) many thanks for sharing!!
xox Amy
These are great. Not too sweet but hit the spot. My hubby and I use them for an after dinner treat. I added a few left over raspberries to the blueberries for a little zing. Also, I used arrowroot instead of the cornstarch because I’m still a little unclear if cornstarch is evil. Thanks for this!!
have you tried this with any other fruit? Like peaches??? :) This looks so amazing, but I don’t have any blueberries. But I do have plenty of peaches!!! I bought some the other day to make a cobbler, but have talked myself out of it because of the amount of sugar. Don’t get me wrong, my great grandma made some amazing peach cobbler, but wow… the sugar! haha Didn’t know if this would work in my favor…
Hi Jessie. I haven’t tried it with other fruits, but my guess is that peaches will work great! Lmk how it turns out :)
These were delicious and didn’t last for more than two days at our house. They are so satisfying — filling but not overly sweet or rich, just simple and delicious. My younger sister who I think has some sensitivity to gluten and dairy said that these made her feel great after eating them. And no one knew they were vegan until I told them! :)
Hi Lauren! So glad to hear they were a hit. Thanks for reading/commenting!
So, I made these again by doubling the recipe and using fresh blackberries and rhubarb from the farmer’s market as well as a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, and they were FANTASTIC! Thanks again for such a great recipe — it is one that I will keep and use for a long time!
Hi!
Can you use another juice instead of apple juice, such as orange juice?
Thank you! :)
Hi Mansi! I haven’t tried it, so I don’t know… but I would suggest sticking with apple juice.
I used honey instead of agave and they turned out great! Only bake for 20 minutes if you use honey though. I love this recipe and so does my family. YUM!! <3
Wow, those look awesome. I would definitely eat that for breakfast and plan to make them this weekend. Makes me glad I froze blueberries when they were in season this summer. I always look for a delicious way to have my oatmeal once summer is over and I can no longer buy fresh fruit to put in it.
that souds really great! but could you tell me the amount of the blueberrys in gramms or in cups please.
2 cups
Just made these with my family, with a few modifications due to the fact that we didn’t have all the ingredients. (I absolutely love add-libbing in my recipes!) We used v8 splash cherry pomegranate instead of Apple juice, 6tbs of Brown sugar instead of agave because I ran out after the 1/4 cup, used cinnamon applesauce, added sweetened coconut on top drizzled with honey and the powdered sugar and water mix….Yes this was a desert, hence the added sweetness, but I will tell you, the WHOLE pan is gone!!! Within 15 minutes 4 of us made it disappear! This recipe is a keeper and with be tripled next time for some yummy leftovers! Thank you so much!!
I was looking to bake a huge back and then eat them over the span of a few weeks. How would you go about preserving them?
Hi Makina. I would freeze the portion you don’t plan on eating the first week. Probably best to keep what’s left in the fridge. Repeat for week 2, 3.
Can you use frozen blueberries?
Yes, frozen are fine.