Have you been to our New Products page recently? We've got all kinds of new items to start your 2013 off right—supplements for weight management and seasonal immunity, and some exciting additions to our Organic Foods line: Shelled Hemp Seed and Hemp Protein Powder.

I had a chance to sample the hemp seeds and they are tasty! Nutty and slightly sweet, like pine nuts or a mellow cashew. Hemp is a natural vegetarian source of complete protein (including all essential amino acids), fiber and essential fatty acids. Particularly noteworthy are its levels of linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3).

Swanson used to carry a hemp seed bar from Nutiva that I really liked, but they've unfortunately been discontinued. When we got these hemp seeds in, the first use I thought of was to try to replicate those bars. I used the same ingredients as the original bar, but as long as you keep the proportions approximately the same, you can swap out just about any nuts, seeds, or sweeteners, add some dried fruit... It's a pretty forgiving recipe.

Homemade Hemp Seed Bars

1/4 cup Raw Shelled Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 cup Whole Flax Seeds
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Shelled Hemp Seeds
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Raw Hulled Sunflower Seeds
1/4 cup Organic Honey
1 teaspoon Himalayan Crystal Salt
2 teaspoons Milled Flaxseed (as a binder)

Combine all the ingredients and spread out on a parchment paper-lined baking pan or cookie sheet. Cut into 18 bars then bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. 

I also tried a version with dried cranberries (that was just okay), one with Agave Nectar instead of honey, and one with homemade pumpkin butter in place of the honey. The honey version came out much harder and drier than the others. The agave version is pretty good, too, but I don't have much of a sweet tooth so my favorite was the pumpkin butter version—much less sweet than either the honey or the agave.