So You Think You Can Squeeze?!? Week 1! Vote and Win!

Over the next three weeks YOU get to be the one in the judge’s seat as you decide which of our two aspiring citrus chefs has done the best job with three fabulous recipes featuring Florida Citrus products. Your job is simple: check in each week and read both Gav’s and Jen’s recipe reviews, compare the pictures, and then vote by telling us what you think! We will be giving away one KitchenAid stand mixer (!!!!!) each week for three weeks! (That’s THREE, if you are counting at home!) Your comment below is your entry to win this week’s amazing prize!

And because we are in such a giving mood, we’d like you have a bonus entry to win! All you have to do is head on over The Florida Department of Citrus’ blog post, Feel the Florida Sunshine, and leave a comment using your Urban Moms’ username.

Click here for contest Rules and Regulations. 

This week’s recipe is: Fruity Granola Bars

A favourite snack for kids and adults alike, this bar can be made ahead and wrapped individually for lunches. The grapefruit juice infuses the cranberries to soften them and brighten their tangy bite. 

Makes 12 bars 

Ingredients: 

½ cup (175 mL) Florida Grapefruit Juice 

1/3 cup (75 mL) dried cranberries 

2 cups (500 mL) store bought granola cereal 

1 cup (250 mL) quick cooking oats 

½ cup (125 mL) all purpose flour 

½ cup (125 mL) chocolate covered raisins 

½ tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon 

1/2 cup (125 mL) liquid honey 

1 egg 

¼ cup (50 mL) canola oil 

¼ cup (50 mL) packed brown sugar 

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla 

Directions: 

In a small bowl, combine grapefruit juice and cranberries and microwave on High for about 1 minute or until bubbling. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine granola, oatmeal, flour, chocolate covered raisins and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk together honey, egg, oil, sugar and vanilla. Pour over granola mixture and add cranberry mixture and stir until well moistened. Scrape and press evenly into a parchment paper lined 9 inch (2.5 L) square baking pan. Bake in 325 F (160 C) oven for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned around edges and firm in centre. Let cool before cutting into bars. 

Tip: Wrap bars individually and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. To freeze bars, rewrap in foil or place wrapped bars in airtight container and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Frozen granola bars will be a bit softer in texture once thawed. 

See what our Chef #1, JEN of Trend Watch, had to say:

We are big fans of granola bars in our house…but I had never thought of making them myself. It’s just one of those things that I always just pick up at the grocery store. But I have to say, these bars were a huge hit in our house. The combination of chocolate covered raisins and grapefruit juice soaked cranberries in the bars made for real chewy deliciousness. I served these as part of a sweet treat to my girlfriends, as an after school snack for my kids, and as a pre-race breakfast for my runner sister. Everybody loved them and my friends and sister asked for the recipe. 

They were also SO simple to make, what a pleasant surprise! And now I am much more inclined to make my own granola bars…I know exactly what’s in them, and feel confident that I am serving my family and friends something that is both good for them AND tasty! 

The recipe says that these bars can freeze nicely, but I didn’t have a chance to test that out. These disappeared within 48 hours of being baked. 

See what our Chef #2, GAV of Chef Dad, had to say: 

Of all the citrus recipes our family tried this week, the granola bars were surprisingly the least popular. We all love granola bars and were looking forward to tasting something a little bit new and different. We would have never thought to put grapefruit juice in granola bars. Truthfully, it was a little difficult to really appreciate the grapefruit juice hiding behind the flavours of the chocolate and cranberries. 

That being said, they were a huge hit with the kids, and they were a really great way to give the them a snack that we knew were made with ingredients we could trust because we made them ourselves. 

I could definitely see my wife having these on hand when the kids come home from school. I know she’d rather fill them with oats and fruit than chips and pretzels! I am almost inclined to make them without the chocolate. I think the kids would still enjoy them…and you’d really be able to taste the citrus-y goodness.