Foodie Friday: Tahini, Date & Cacao Energy Balls (Dairy-Free / Vegan recipe) #HealthySnacking

Snacking getting out of hand during lockdown? Whip up a batch of these moreish Tahini, Date & Cacao Energy Balls to keep in the fridge for those emergency snack moments and enjoy a healthy energy boost at the same time!

Energy Balls are something that I've been regularly making at home for a few years now and I absolutely love these naturally nutrient-packed, refined-sugar-free mini snacks. The other joy of making Energy Balls is that you can pretty much conjure up any flavour that you fancy and use any ingredients that you already have in your cupboard (for example check out this Deliciously Ella Cacao & Almond recipe which is a firm favourite in my house). Run out of Cashews? Just swap them for some Almonds - easy!

These Tahini, Date & Cacao Energy Balls have an amazing sweet and salty flavour going on and are a source of plant-based protein, vitamins and antioxidants. They only take 5 minutes to make in a food processor and simply require some chill time in the fridge afterwards - if you can wait that long before tucking in...

Ingredients (makes around 12 balls)

• 12 Medjool Dates (pitted)
• 50g unsalted Cashews
• 2 tbsp Tahini
• 1 tsp Cacao Powder
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Method

• Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blitz until it forms a paste-like texture that you can hold in your hands. If it feels too sticky, add a little more Cacao Powder and blend again.
• Remove the mixture from the processor and using your hands, make roughly 12 balls from it, rolling each one between your hands or on a clean plate.
• Place the balls on a plate and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving - enjoy!

Storage tip: Keep the Energy Balls in the fridge in a sealed container for up to a week.

Have you tried making your own Energy Balls at home?

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Foodie Friday: Easy Cheesy Herby Nuts (Vegan / Dairy-Free recipe) #Veganuary

Veganuary is set to break a new record in terms of participation this year, with over a quarter of a million Brits taking the pledge and trying vegan this month. Whether you're taking part or just want to reduce your meat and dairy intake, I'll be sharing a series of tasty vegan-friendly recipes throughout January to help you out as part of my popular Foodie Friday posts - enjoy!

For this week's Foodie Friday post, I wanted to share a recipe for Easy Cheesy Herby Nuts which only takes 10 minutes to make. I made two huge batches of these for Christmas and New Year's Eve parties at home, and they were one of the most popular snacks on the table with everyone asking for more afterwards!

To get a subtle herby cheesy flavour, I simply coated the nuts in a generous amount of Mixed Italian Herbs and Nutritional Yeast - the latter of which should be on every new vegan's to-buy list. This form of inactive dried yeast, often nicknamed 'nooch', has a surprisingly realistic cheesy flavour to it and can be sprinkled over pasta dishes, soups, sandwiches, popcorn, roasted potatoes, the list goes on.

I'd recommend buying Nutritional Yeast which has been fortified with the all-important Vitamin B12 for an extra healthy boost, so why not give these Easy Cheesy Herbs Nuts a try this weekend? 

Ingredients (makes one batch)

• 300g Mixed Nuts
• 3-4 tbsp Nutritional Yeast (depending on how 'cheesy' you want them)
• 1 tsp Dried Mixed Italian Herbs (Herbs de Provence works well)
• Generous drizzle of Olive Oil
• Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4.
• In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and give everything a good stir to coat the nuts.
• Spread them out onto a baking tray and pop into the oven to roast for around 5-8 minutes, until they start to go golden brown. Allow to cool before tucking in and enjoy!

Storage tip: Keep in an airtight container in a cool, dry place (not the fridge) for up to a week.

Are you taking part in Veganuary?

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Foodie Friday: Cacao, Hazelnut & Goji Berries Granola (Vegan / Dairy Free recipe)

Granola is one of my favourite things to have for breakfast, but I mostly make my own as many of the boxes of granola that you find in the supermarket aren't as healthy as they look with hidden sugars and artificial preservatives.

Thankfully, making your own granola from scratch is ridiculously easy and you can rest assured knowing exactly what's in it!  Below, I've shared my current favourite granola mix which includes Cacao, Cacao Nibs, Hazelnuts, and Goji Berries, but you can, of course, add or take out whatever you like to incorporate your own favourite nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and you can choose to sweeten it however you want to. What I would suggest though, is using the best quality oats that you can find, (preferably organic ones) because the granola base really makes all the difference. 

Ingredients:- (makes roughly a medium sized Kilner jar of granola) 

• 250g Organic Jumbo Rolled Oats
• 50g Hazelnuts (chopped or whole, whichever you prefer)
• 50g Raw Cacao Nibs
• 50g Goji Berries
• 25g Desiccated Coconut
• 2 tbsp of Raw Cacao Powder
• 2 tbsp of Coconut Oil (liquid)
• 2-3 tbsp of Agave or Maple Syrup
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Method:-

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking tray with greaseproof baking paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the Jumbo Oats, Hazelnuts, Cacao Powder, Desiccated Coconut, Coconut Oil, Agave Syrup and Sea Salt, mixing everything together until it's thoroughly combined.
3. Transfer the mixture to the baking tray and spread it out so that it's an even layer. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Make sure that you give everything a stir through to turn over the oats half-way through so that it cooks evenly.
4. Take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle over the Cacao Nibs and Goji Berries and allow to cool.
5. Once it's properly cooled down, transfer it to an airtight container such as a Kilner jar. 

Storage & serving: Your homemade granola will keep in an airtight jar for around 2-3 weeks, giving you plenty of time to enjoy it for your daily breakfast. I usually measure out a few tablespoons (it depends on how hungry I am!) per serving, splash over some Almond Milk and add some fresh fruits like Strawberries or Blueberries. If you find the granola isn't sweet enough for your tastebuds, just add a little swirl of Maple or Agave Syrup and enjoy! 

Have you ever made your own granola?

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Foodie Friday: Kinomi Nuts - Waku Waku Cashews, Pori Pori Almonds & Pika Pika Pecans review

A few weeks ago I came across a tube of spicy almonds in a Lick My Dip box (reviewed over on All Subscription Boxes) which were quite frankly the best almonds I've ever tasted in my life.

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