Who is not totally inspired by Pete Evans at the moment? I am in love with his new book ‘Healthy Everyday’. Such clean, fresh recipes to inspire. Although I am a little bias when it comes to Pete….I even have my own Pete Evans Clark sink…..I do believe these little balls, inspired by Pete’s version of ‘Date, Chia and Maca Balls’ are the best raw balls ever! And I’m not the only one with this opinion. I recently made these for the local co-op and within 2 hours they had sold out! I have tweaked the recipe to include a few additions to make them even tastier and extra supercharged.
So give them a go, you won’t be disappointed and they really are a cinch to whip up.
Makes 10
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of pitted medjool dates
50g chia seeds (white or black)
1 tsp maca powder*
1 ½ tsp cinnamon powder
50g activated almonds
75g walnuts kernels
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
3 tbsp shredded organic coconut
1 tbsp fine desiccated coconut
Directions:
Using a food processor or blender, pulse the dried activated almonds and walnuts until they resemble a fine crumb. Add the dates, chia seeds, shredded coconut, maca powder, vanilla extract and cinnamon and blend until well combined. Spoon heaped teaspoons of the mixture into your hands and mix into a ball shape before placing in a bowl of fine desiccated coconut to coat.
Ball can then be placed in the freezer to set and can be eaten straight out of the freezer or stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an air tight container, although they never last that long in my house.
If you don’t have a food processor or blender, never fear, you can still make this recipe by using slithered almonds and crushed walnuts and mixing the ingredients by hand. You will end up with a chunkier texture than the blended version, but they still work a treat.
A side note on Maca:
Maca powder is made from the root of the maca plant, native to the Andrean mountains of Peru and has been consumed for centuries by the Inca people. It is relatively new to our health food shelves and many people are still unsure of what to do with this superfood, which is jam packed with vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids. It is relatively easy to incorporate a regular dose of maca into your diet by adding it to sweet treats (like these maca balls), smoothies or even sprinkle some on your porridge. Just keep in mind Maca has a fairly strong taste (think burnt butterscotch) so you only need a little amount to add some extra flavour to your creations. You can pick some up pre-packaged from local health food stores and some of the larger supermarkets, however my tip would be to head to Flametree Community Food Co-op to pick up a small amount to try before you go out and spend big on this ingredient as it is an acquired taste.
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