Ingredients
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nonstick cooking spray
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2 cups old fashioned oats
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1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
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1/2 cup sugar
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1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon baking powder
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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3/4 cup balance trans-fat free margarine, chilled
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1 cup no-sugar-added blueberry spread
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1/2 cup spinach, puree
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Coat an 8"X 8" baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla and stir to mix well.
- Add the margarine and cut it quickly into dry ingredients with two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal and is no longer powdery. Do no overmix--bits of margarine will still be visible.
- Set aside about half the oat mixture; press the rest firmly into the pan. Bake until lightly browned at the edges (but not fully baked), 13 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the preserves with the spinach puree in a small bowl.
- Spread blueberry mixture over the partially baked oat layer, then sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake until topping is slightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool completely before cutting into 12 bars.
- Spinach Puree:
- Steam baby spinach(for mature spinach-remove stems) for about 30-40 seconds or cook in skillet with 1 tablespoons water for about 90 seconds or just until wilted. Puree in food processor or blender for about 2 min until smooth and creamy.