Breakfast Bars 2.0

I have a breakfast bar recipe in an earlier book, but this is the new, improved version: gluten-free, dairy-free and enough seeds to make you start sprouting. I've used no sugar, but before you start thinking this is virtuously sugar-free (which I could claim it to be), remember that the sweetness that comes from the dates is, in essence, sugar, though certainly it's unprocessed and full of fiber at the same time. There are a lot of ingredients, but you need a good mixture to give crunch and chew--and all manner of smugness-inducing nutrients--though you can fiddle about with them. You can, for example, use sunflower seeds in place of flaxseeds, or half and half rather than all flaxseeds, as below, and you can also use puffed rice (gluten-free if needed) or buckwheat flakes in place of cornflakes. In theory, cornflakes (and oats) should be gluten-free, but if crucial, make sure it's stipulated on the packet. If you can't get hold of medjool dates, then use 350 grams (12 ounces) pitted dried dates and up the water to 400 milliliters (scant 1 3/4 cups). And they'll take about 10, rather than 5, minutes to cook until they're soft enough to mash to a purée. Make these bars at the weekend, and you'll be set up for the week if you're someone who needs to grab-and-go in the morning. They come in pretty handy for that 4pm slump, too.