>
Inspired by Alton Brown’s recent “Power Trip” episode on protein bars and the like, Wolf recently trekked down to Whole Foods voluntarily and kicked me out of the kitchen to recreate the three, count ’em, three recipes from the show for Protein Bars, a Granola Bar and a Rice Krispy Treat gone healthy.
I’ve never been one for energy bars, though I’ve been known to eat a Quaker Chewy Granola Bar or two. And surprisingly, both the granola bar and the Brown Rice Krispy treat came out remarkably tasty. The granola bar tastes a lot like the Nature Valley Trail Mix granola bars that came out in the last year or so (but better), and you get the consolation of knowing what’s really in the bar and it isn’t a bunch of hydrolized, hydrogenated ickiness. The Rice Krispy treat, which includes dried apricots and dried cherries for extra nutritional oomph is pretty tasty too. The puffed brown rice doesn’t change the flavor drastically and if I can justify wolfing down a square knowing that I’m getting some extra potassium and other goodness, well it’s alright with me. The good thing about Alton’s version is that it still includes a bit of butter and marshmallows, so there’s not a huge sacrifice in taste.