Pumpkin Bars (Dairy, Gluten/Grain and Refined Sugar Free)

I have been picking up a lot of pumpkins and squash at my local farmer.  It really is easy to roast your own (see below) and you can freeze what you don't use for your recipe.  These bars turned out really well.  There is lots of flavour, protein and will give you some extra energy.  The make a great snack or breakfast.  We didn't have any left over but I am sure they would keep well covered in the fridge.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil 
• 1 tablespoon ground chia or flax seeds
• 1 cup puréed pumpkin (I use my own roasted pumpkin to avoid the BPA found in most cans)*
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup water (optional, may need if you used roasted pumpkin as the batter may be thicker)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 9 baking dish.
2. Purée all ingredients together except the raisins if you wish to leave them whole.  I added the raisins into the blender and puréed them in order to create tiny pieces.
3. Bake 25-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

* to roast a pumpkin, place it whole on a baking dish, poke some holes with a knife and roast in a preheated oven of 400 F for 1 hour.