HookedOnPlants

When getting hooked is a good thing

quinoa

Raw Vegan Date Hemp Coconut Sneaky Greens Bliss Balls

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Dates glorious dates. Melt in your mouth. Chewy. Sweet.

Natures candy.

Date Balls!

Dates are amazing for well….  anything really. Buy them by the box, and make sure they’re as juicy and fresh as possible. These little morsels are taken everywhere. In the car, on camping trips, in my camel back, on the plane… you name it.

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Packed with fibre, minerals and vitamins, dates are not to be afraid of. They’re a whole food, unrefined and easily digested for amazing, clean burning energy. The perfect snack on the go. If you love caramel apples, take a bite of an apple with your date and call it a day. Seriously. Take them everywhere with you and you will be a happy camper.

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They are delicious as they are. But sometimes it’s nice to introduce them to a few other flavour buddies.

Hemp seeds add a great hit of flavour and essential fatty acids, oats create a cookie-like taste, and for the twist, quinoa puffs round out this delish ball with a surprising crunch and a complete protein (not that we have to be worried about protein, because it literally is naturally in every single whole, plant food).

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All you need is a food processor and a bit of a shimmy of the wrist to create these melt in your mouth hits of nutrition.

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Benefits:

~Dates are chalk full of fibre, magnesium, and selenium. Plus they are stars when it comes to smooth digestion, nutrient-density, and improving the gut flora. This is all beneficial for weight loss, satiety, and clean burning energy.

~Hemp seeds are a great balance of 3:1 omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids. In the Standard American Diet, there is WAY too much omega 6 fatty acids being consumed, and not enough omega 3. SO, hemp seeds are a perfect way to ensure you’re getting enough omega 3s in your life. This will help ward off depression, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, blood fat, asthma, and ADHD. Plus it’s one of the best options for plant-based protein.

~Coconut is packed with vitamin E, polyphenols, and vitamin A, which all work together to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels.

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Makes: 30 balls

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 20 Medjool dates, pits removed
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup Daily Greens Powder (broccoli sprouts, moringa, spinach, barley grass and chlorella)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Directions:

  1. Process oats to a flour in food processor, then blend in Daily Greens powder
  2. Add dates to flour and process for 10 seconds
  3. Add hemp seeds, quinoa puffs and vanilla to the mix and process until a ball forms
  4. Spread coconut on a plate
  5. Shape date mixture into small balls with wet hands and drop them onto the plate (a few at a time). Shake the plate so the balls get coated with coconut shreds.
  6. Once the balls are all shaped and coated, store them in the fridge so they’re ready for snacking!
  • If youre having trouble keeping the mixture together, add 1-2 tsp of water to the mix then try molding again.

These keep their shape and travel like heroes!

So bring them on hikes, bike rides, camping trips, you name it.

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Puffed Quinoa Dessert Bars

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Simple, no-bake, mouthwatering, chocolate-y, fudge-y dessert bars.

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Totally a go-to for any day of the week.

This recipe is adapted from on of my favourite food bloggers, Dana at the Minimalist Baker.

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I was lucky enough to grab a signed copy of Dana’s book at her book signing at Nourish Cafe after her and the lovely Erin Ireland‘s cooking demo! It’s an amazing new cookbook, Everyday Cooking. Every single recipe is simple and drool-worthy. She and her husband, John are both over-the-top inspiring.

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These bars are perfectly scrumptious snacks or desserts. Just sink your teeth into them once.

You’ll see.

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Here are the changes I made:

I used quinoa puffs as well as rice puffs, pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds, maple syrup instead of agave syrup, and a mixture of sunflower seed butter and almond butter instead of peanut butter.

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Benefits:

–Quinoa, AKA the mother grain, contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce themselves. So these bars are packed with plant-powered protein and nutrient-dense energy.

–Maple syrup is one of the least processed liquid sweeteners you can use. It’s packed with antioxidants and has a low glycemic index compared to most other sweeteners. This means you avoid the sugar spike, and inevitable crash like you would get from more refined sugars. And it’s Canadian, yo!

–Raw almond butter has healthy unsaturated fatty acids and fibre. In treats like this, go for it, but I don’t recommend over-eating nut butters because of the high saturated fat content, but the un-roasted, organic, raw versions do carry fibre and vitamins, and can be a small part of a healthy diet 🙂

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Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12-14

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of nut or seed butter of choice (raw almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates (medjool or bahri)
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 cups quinoa puffs
  • 1 cup rice puffs
  • 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Prepare about a 6″x 8″ cake pan by spreading parchment paper or plastic wrap on bottom and over edges.
  2. Add almond butter, PB2 paste and maple syrup to a small pot. Heat on low heat and stir until mixture is smooth.
  3. Add almond butter mixture to a bowl with chopped dates. Stir to combine.
  4. Add quinoa, rice puffs and pumpkin seeds. Mix with wooden spoon until evenly combined.
  5. Spread out mixture in the prepared pan. To flatten evenly, use parchment paper between your hands and the mixture and press down firmly.
  6. Remove the top parchment paper, and place pan in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
  7. While the deliciousness is freezing, prepare your chocolate sauce.
  8. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove, or in 30 second increments in a bowl in the microwave (stirring each time), until you have a smooth sauce.
  9. Take the bars out of the freezer, and drizzle chocolate sauce over with a fork.
  10. Throw that pan of goodness back into the freezer and wait (the hardest part) for 10 minutes until it is set.
  11. Cut into shapes of your choice and gobble up.