I made these!!!! (Also known as JulieBars)

Oh my goodness, have you ever tried a LaraBar? They are heavenly and healthy, and by healthy I don't mean loaded with lots of ingredients you can't pronounce that are supposed to be good for you, but real, simple, whole food. Take for example Peanut Butter Cookie. Ingredients: peanuts, dates, salt. HELLO! And so scrumptious, you just can't believe it.

These sweet little puppies are pretty expensive though. Deborah and I have been trying for years to hack the recipe. Here we are back in January of 05, making a batch to take with me to the ship.

I think we did Cherry Pie and Chocolate Coconut. I finished them within days of arriving at training in Germany, while everybody else was eating pasta with ketchup. (no offense, Germany - love ya!)

Recently I made a batch of Apple Pie. This is my favorite flavor - not too sweet or tangy, and nutty enough to be satisfying. You could increase the amount of dates or apples to make it sweeter or tangy-er, according to your taste.

Apple Pie "JulieBars"

2 cups dates

1 package dried apple slices

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/2 cup - 1 cup almonds

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Break out the food processor. Grind almonds to a fine meal by pulsing. Set aside.

Soak dates in warm water for a few minutes (until soft) and drain. Process in food processor. Add apples and cinnamon. Process until apples are fully incorporated and as small as they will get.

Add almond meal until dough ball forms in food processor and it is not so sticky. If it is dry and crumbly, you will need to add more dates. Add walnuts and pulse just a few times to mix in. Remove dough and chill. Cut into bars or squares and store in the fridge.

Enjoy with all your vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and raw food friends!