date & almond balls

 


I’ve been feeling a little unsettled lately, actually I’ve been feeling this way for a while now.  That pull to be closer to family is really tugging on my heart at present and the fact that we’ll be travelling home for two weeks tonight has me so excited that I can barely contain myself let alone concentrate on anything.  It will be a time of firsts for our youngest three…first time back in seven years*, first time meeting cousins who have been born in the eight years we have been away, first time seeing the changes that have occurred in the place of their birth, first time being back since the passing of loved ones.  So much has changed in the time we have been away, goodness knows I am not the same person I was when I left, but despite all of that we will finally be on home soil, albeit briefly, surrounded by family, and that fact alone makes me giddy just thinking about it.

In preparation for our trip, which will be 13 hours from woe to go, I’ve been busy making portable snacks to keep us sustained.  I know I am not alone in thinking that airline food is pretty dismal and the options for me are even more limited now that I know I have food intolerances.  Gluten free muffins, chia pudding (oh my goodness guys, the roasted strawberry miso chia pudding that I came up with is to die for!!) and these date and almond balls were just the ticket.  Simple to throw together, easy to transport and nutritiously filling!


Date & almond balls – 24-28 balls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole almonds
1 cup medjool dates – pitted
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp coconut oil – melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method:
Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and blitz till roughly chopped.  Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until well combined and the consistency you want.  Using moist hand, roll tablespoon amounts of mixture into balls and place on a plate.  Refrigerate until firm.

Notes:
- chocolate ganache or salted caramel sauce can be added for a more decadent ball, just omit the water and oil
- a nip of baileys or kahlua is perfect for the festive season
- maca or mesquite powder is a lovely earthy addition
- any type of nut can be used as can an assortment of nuts
- can be kept in the fridge for up to a week (if they last that long) and in the freezer for 4 weeks



* lets not delve into how guilty that makes me feel

coconut jaffa bliss balls

Afternoon tea used to consist of fresh baked scones with jam and cream or hot pikelets straight from the pan.  It wasn’t unusual for the kids to come home from school with the smell of fresh baked items in the air, their friends trailing in behind them eager to join them at the table.
 
These days however, even though life is no busier than it was ten years ago, I seem to be lacking in both time and energy to bake before school pick up so have been playing around with different versions of the popular bliss ball/truffle that I can keep on hand in the fridge/freezer.  The thing I love about these wee treats is that they are super fast to prepare.  You literally throw whatever ingredients you want into the food processor, blitz for a minute or so then roll into balls.  It’s really as simple as that.

These coconut jaffa balls are my kids current favourite. They hit the spot rather nicely, especially for a chocoholic like myself.

Coconut Jaffa bliss balls - approx. 25-30 balls

Ingredients:
2 cups desiccated coconut
1/2 cup almond meal
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup melted coconut oil/butter
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
a scant 1/2 cap of orange oil

Method:
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend for 30-60 seconds until the mixture comes together.  Using moist hands, roll teaspoon amounts into balls and put onto a plate.  Place into the fridge to firm up.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. 
 
Notes:
- best eaten within five days if kept in the fridge
- will keep well in the freezer for a few weeks (if they aren’t demolished sooner)
- allow to thaw slightly before eating if kept in the freezer
- orange zest or orange essence would add a subtler flavour but can be substituted for the orange oil

nut free chocolate spread

Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined having chocolate sandwiches as a child.  The fanciest we ever got was sprinkle sandwiches better known as fairy bread.  On the days that I opened my lunch to find sprinkle sandwiches, I thought all my Christmas’s had come at once.  In my book they bet marmite sandwiches hands down!  Our older school-aged children prefer salad wraps or filled rolls over a basic sandwich but thankfully our littlest is still easily pleased in the lunch department and after going through the various spread stages of marmite, jam and peanut butter he now favours chocolate spread. 

I started making nutella a year or so ago using an assortment of nuts as the base but now that our little one is at a kindy with a nut free policy I’ve had to substitute the base yet again to make it allergy friendly.  Enter nut-free chocolate spread.  I’ve used both sunflower butter and tahini to make a nut-free version and both go down a treat. 

This chocolate tahini spread is a cinch to make and is just as delicious as it’s namesake, if not more so, and those tears and tantrums that ensued over not being able to take chocolate sandwiches to ‘school’ are now a thing of the past.  I’m scoring big brownie points here people!

Nut free chocolate spread

Ingredients:
1 cup tahini (I use unhulled)
4 Tbsp coconut oil
4 Tbsp hot water
4 Tbsp cocoa
4 Tbsp maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla

Method:
Simply mix all ingredients together until well combined and smooth.  Store in the fridge. 

Notes:
-This recipe is easily adapted to suit your tastes.  It can be sweeter, more or less chocolatey, thicker or runnier depending on how much syrup, cocoa, water and coconut oil you use.  Play around and find your perfect balance. 
-Recipe can be easily halved.
-This spread is perfect for icing a cake with or for using as a dip with fruit.