Coconut and Cashew Bars

I'm on spring break after the most challenging quarter I've ever experienced (which is why I wasn't posting much). For a good portion of the quarter, I wasn't cooking much. I just had too much to do. Today I spent some time in the kitchen, and it was wonderful.

My roommate recently introduced me to Lara bars. They're quite tasty, made from only a few ingredients, and they're inexpensive, but none of their ingredients are organic. Because their ingredient list was so simple, I decided to make my own using organic food, and they turned out pretty well. All of the ingredients were raw, in addition to being organic, so this recipe works for anyone on a raw food diet.

Coconut and Cashew Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
At least 10 dried and pitted dates
2 Tbs almonds coarsely ground (large chunks are fine)
1 1/2 Tbs virgin coconut oil

Put all ingredients except the almonds in a food processor and grind until you have the desired consistency. You don't want to make cashew butter, but you do want things to be ground pretty finely.
Put the mixture on a piece of parchment or wax paper. It should hold together and be reminiscent of dough. If it's not holding together, add more dates and put through the food processor again.
Mix the almonds in by hand (these give the bars a nice crunch)
Shape into a rectangle or square approximately 1/2" high.
Cut into pieces the size and shape you want.
Eat and enjoy.

Optional:
Add a dash of cinnamon, hunks of dark chocolate, or any other dried fruit or nut your heart desires.