these vitamin, mineral and antioxidant packed energy balls are a healthy and naturally vegan and gluten free alternative to store bought snacks and treats which often have lots of preservatives and sugar hiding inside. recipe by swedish Malin from good eatings blog.
ingredients:
- Makes roughly 16 balls (the size of half a golf ball)
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts
- 1/3 cup brazil nuts
- 1/3 cup desiccated coconut
- 1-2 tbsp wild sea buckthorn powder (depending on potency required)
- 1 tbsp cashew butter
- 3-4 tbsp tahini
- 12 medjool dates
the dates make the balls stick together and give them sweetness whilst tahini and cashew butter gives them a creamy flavour and cashew and brazil nuts some crunch. all of these ingredients don’t just add to the flavour and texture but have fantastic health benefits too:
- Dates are rich in iron and a great source of fibre
- tahini is made from sesame seeds which are rich in various minerals including zinc which is great for glowing skin, it is also a good source of plant protein
- nuts are another good source of plant protein and contain important minerals, in this case cashews offer zinc and iron and brazil nuts are rich in selenium
the added sea buckthorn take these balls to another level. it is a great source f vitamin C and also contains healthy omega fatty acids and antioxidants.
To prepare, place cashews and brazil nuts in food processor and pulse until it is a rough meal with small bits of nuts still left. add dessicated coconut and sea buckthorn powder and pulse a couple of times to mix. add the cashew butter, tahini (start with three spoons and add another if you need your mixture to be more sticky) as well as the pitted medjool dates.
when the mixture is roughly combined and it sticks together when you press it between your fingers remove it from the food processor and roll into balls, roughly the size of half a golf ball. if you wish roll in coconut and keep in the fridge for 5-7 days. enjoy as a healthy snack.
