I splurged and got myself the Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year recently and I am super excited about it.

If you’ve not seen the Forks Over Knives movie, I highly recommend you do as soon as possible. Additionally, if you are on a quest for better health through whole foods nutrition, this book will get you off in the right direction! Here is a sample recipe that I’ve tried and really love:

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Oh, these are so good and simple! They are full of crunchy, toasty, peanut-buttery deliciousness, with just a hint of cinnamon. These granola bars are a must for you lunchbox. The recipe calls for smooth peanut butter, but feel free to use chunky peanut butter if you want an extra peanut kick in your bars. Makes 8 Bars

• ½ cup smooth peanut butter
• ¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup brown rice syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with a 10-inch square of parchment paper.

2. In a small saucepan or saucier, mix together the peanut butter, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Gently heat the mixture over low heat, whisking with a fork, just until it’s warm enough for the ingredients to incorporate and become smooth.

3. Remove from heat. Let the mixture cool a bit so that it’s still warm, but not hot. Mix in the vanilla, then add the oats, salt and cinnamon and mix very well.

4. Now, wet your hands and press the oats into the pan. Firmly press the oat mixture into the pan, pressing on the top and packing the bars as tightly as you can. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the sides of the bars and lightly browned.

5. Remove the pan from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting up by corners of the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (with the parchment underneath.

6. Use an 8-inch knife to slice the bars into eight rectangles. It’s best to press down firmly in one motion to slice, rather than using a sawing motion, which may make the bars crumble a bit. Slice once down the middle, and then 4 times across the other way.

7. Store bars in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.

Recipe from: “Forks Over Knives: The Cookbook” by Del Sroufe; Courtesy of Bonnie Schnautz and BRenewed (www.BRenewed.com)