03 Magazine: March 01, 2023

Recipe | Magazine 45
ENERGY BALLS
These balls of goodness are really just that.
They are perfect for dairy free, gluten free,
plant-based treat lovers. The dates act as a
natural sweetener and are filled with fibre, by
adding nuts you get healthy fats and protein,
and I threw some chia seeds in to get more
fibre and a healthy superfood boost. As long as
you follow the quantities you can pretty much
mix up the nuts, fruits etc to suit your tastes.
Makes 12
1 cup pitted fresh dates or prunes
½ cup dried cranberries
1 cup nuts (cashew, almond, walnut)
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon chia seeds
Pinch of salt
CHIA PUDDINGS
Chia puddings are a fantastic way to
get protein-packed goodness and are
delicious at the same time. You can
add any fruit (I use frozen fruit a lot).
You can make it chocolatey by adding
cacao and it can still be healthy. I also
make a vanilla-based chia pudding
and add fresh or dried fruit, nuts and
seeds to mix it up. Chia seeds need
time to absorb so you will need to
allow at least 1 hour or ideally leave
overnight before enjoying.
Optional
Coconut or more nuts, to coat
Put all the ingredients except the optional
coconut/nuts into a food processor.
Process on high until the mixture becomes well
blended and comes together when moulded
between your hands.
Roll the mixture into 12 even-sized balls.
You can keep them as is or roll them in coconut,
nuts, chopped dates, cocoa powder, etc.
Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Serves 4
2 cups coconut cream
½ cup chia seeds (black or white)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons coconut sugar or
maple syrup
Optional
2 cups fresh or frozen berries
2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
6 prunes
Dried fruit such as apricots, dates,
cranberries, seeds and nuts
Pour the coconut cream into a large
bowl, add the chia seeds, vanilla extract
and sweetener. Whisk together until
combined.
Pour into a sealable container and store
in the fridge (ideally overnight).