Pinole

I read about pinole in Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run. He talked often of the endurance energy the Tarahumara derived from this simple corn based food. I searched the internet and tried the recipe below. It is so simple but not bland and defiantly goes a long way. After I made a batch I ate one pinole bar and two hours later could barely finish my dinner. I will experiment with using it on the bike and on long runs but I'm sure this will be a staple of mine as it has been for the Tarahumara. I might experiment by adding some raisins or dried cranberries next time.

Pinole Bars
Ingredients

* 1 cup cornmeal
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 2 tbsp agave nectar
* 2 tbsp chia seeds
* 1 cup water

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Toast cornmeal in a skillet until colored. Combine ingredients with water till cake batter consistency. Spread in a glass square baking pan that has been sprayed with canola oil. Bake 10 minutes. Cut into bars while hot. Remove from pan when cold.