I have my Vegan Thanksgiving Feast all planned, and will start the prep work today. I'm sure you've got your meal all figured out by now too, so I'll share my recipes after the holiday, and maybe you can use some of them later in the season. Meanwhile, we can all use some extra energy this time of year - quick bites of pure fuel that can keep us afloat on the busy days ahead. Store bought energy bars can be okay, but many of them are loaded with processed sugars, which are totally bad for us, and besides, they're ridiculously expensive. I got a version of the following recipe from my friends Kat & Kathleen, and proceeded to mess with it until it was super simple, and extra good. I call them Power Balls because they pack a real nutritional wallop, but best of all, they're a tasty treat.
These are a great snack to take along just about anywhere. I'll sometimes munch one or two with a cup of tea and call it lunch. I think they're quite fancy enough to call them cookies, but you could dress them up by stirring in things like tiny chocolate chips and chopped dried cherries, and maybe roll them in organic powdered sugar and give them as holiday gifts. I might do just that.
Here's the basic recipe. Please feel free to play with it. You can't really mess these up.
Power Balls
Buzz together in a food processor:
2 cups coarsely chopped dried fruit
Dates are especially good, but try adding in some apricots, figs, prunes, raisins, etc.
1/4 cup maple syrup
You can also use agave or brown rice syrup.
1/4 cup peanut butter
Or use cashew or almond butter. The original recipe calls for coconut oil, which is extra decadent.
Add, and pulse until medium-to-finely chopped, but not pureed:
1/2 cup nuts and seeds
I like cashews, walnuts, almonds, and sunflowers seeds, in any combination.
1/4 cup chia seeds
These are a Super Food favored by the Aztecs for strength and stamina.
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
It will look something like this...
Roll into small balls, and place on a baking sheet. No baking though! Just place them in the fridge for an hour or so, and then store refrigerated in an air tight container. They'll keep for at least a couple of weeks, but I'll bet they get eaten long before that.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! And if you're cooking a Vegan Feast, yay YOU!!!
