Walnut Energy Bars

Make energy bars over the weekend, and you'll thank yourself all week for throwing together this easy, tasty snack. A rich mixture of dates and tahini surrounds the crunchy bits—a combination of walnuts, coconut, and crystalized ginger—and the result is a delicious bar that can double as dessert. Cinnamon and cardamom draw out the caramel notes in the dates, which offer sweetness without added sugar. Once you've gotten the hang of the method, try it with any mixture of nuts and seeds in place of the walnuts, or different dried fruits instead of the ginger.