Hummus and curried lentil-flavoured snack bars make a great alternative to traditional sweet muesli bars. 

Hummus bar

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Makes: 12 bars
Time: 15 min
Cost: $7

Ingredients
2 cups chickpeas
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup sunflower seeds (plus extra to toast)
¼ cup pumpkin seeds (plus extra to toast)
¼ cup chia seeds
Good pinch of salt
Garlic clove (add more or less depending on taste)
¼– ½ cup oil 

Method

Blend all ingredients together until they form a consistency similar to cookie batter (oil quantity will differ depending on whether chickpeas are from a can [less] or whether you’ve cooked them [more]).

Toast a handful of sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a pan and leave to cool.

Using slightly wet hands, shape the batter into bars of desired size then top with toasted seeds. You might need to push the seeds in firmly to ensure they stay. 

Pack in an airtight container or bag and store in the fridge (or freeze if keeping for more than a week).

Curried lentil bar

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Makes: 12 bars
Time: 30 min
Cost: $5

Ingredients
2 cups split red lentils 
4 cups water
2 tsp curry powder
1 cup oats
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup sunflower seeds 
¼ cup linseed
Good pinch salt
Garlic clove, crushed (add more or less depending on taste)
2 tbsp oil 
2 tbsp sesame seeds to toast

Method

Dry cook the curry powder over a gentle heat in the same pot as, but before, the lentils. When the curry fragrance can be smelled, add lentils, salt, garlic, and water to cover.

Cook for 10–15min until lentils are soft, then remove from heat and add oats and tahini to soften. Cover and leave for 5–10min. Mash, then stir in the sunflower seeds and linseed.

Toast a handful of sesame seeds in a pan and leave to cool.

Using slightly wet hands, shape batter into bars of desired size (the smaller they are, the more durable they become), then top with toasted seeds (push these in firmly to ensure they stay). Pack into an airtight container or bag and store in the fridge (or freeze if keeping for more than a week).