Raw Superfood Bites Recipe

When it comes to eating desserts, often times I have to skip altogether since many tasty treats contain eggs which I have some sensitivities to. For this reason, I prefer to seek out vegan desserts (I try to not indulge in too much dairy anyways, though I’m not a vegan). In my hunt to find options that are dessert-like that meet my above criteria, I’ve decided over the years to experiment in the kitchen and make my own treats when time allows. In addition, I had also become quite bored over time with eating the same grocery-store bought “safe” snacks and was in desperate need of some other yummy, healthier treats.

Here’s a recipe that I concocted one day for what I’ve named Raw Superfood Bites. These flavor bombs are just the perfect balance of sweet and a little salty (just the way I like it). I think you raw foodies will enjoy them, as well as the vegans and omnivores out there — a perfect “no-added sugar, raw, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan, and soy-free” indulgence for everyone.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted, raw pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup raw almonds
4-5 dates
1/4 cup raw cacao beans or nibs
1/8 cup shredded coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 tbsp. organic, extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Preparation:

Place pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almonds into food processor and blend until a powder mixture is formed. Add cacao and continue to blend until thoroughly mixed. Chop up dates (removing pits) into small pieces, add to processor and continue to blend. Add coconut flakes, coconut oil (does not need to be melted), vanilla extract, and sea salt and blend all ingredients together. Mixture should be somewhat moist (if not, more coconut oil can be added to achieve desired taste/texture).

Form into little bite-sized balls (can use an ice-cream scooper to approximate serving size) and place onto a baking tray or plate (does not need to be greased/oiled).

Place tray in freezer and keep chilled for at least 1 hour.

Serve cold or at room temperature and enjoy!

Serving size: 1 treat. Makes about 6-8 treats.

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Some observations: They taste great cold and don’t really freeze (meaning they don’t become super hard/frozen-like — I think because of the coconut oil). At room temp, the oil can start to melt so they will take on a more oily nature. If that’s your thing, go ahead — they taste great both ways!

Substitutions: Full disclosure — I didn’t have a picture of my original recipe posted above so I wanted to recreate them and reshoot a photo but was lacking some ingredients. So, I improvised and used macadamia nuts instead of almonds and raisins instead of dates AND raw sunflower seeds instead of pumpkin seeds (I know, right? I completely changed the recipe — HA!) But, you know what? They still tasted great this way. So, go ahead and have fun with it and swap out a nut or a seed you don’t like for your preferred one. Let me know what you think when you’ve experimented.

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Health Benefits

Coconut Oil contains healthful medium-chained triglycerides, which are easily digested and provide a quick source of energy. Medium-chained fatty acids can be utilized as a preferred fuel source in the body and will not store in the fat cells as easily as other types of fats. Coconut oil also naturally contains lauric acid, which can convert to monolaurin in the body, exhibiting antiviral, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties. For more in-depth info, check out an old post here: http://wp.me/p5E8l7-6n

This is also the coconut oil I used:
Nature’s Way Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, 32-Ounce

Pumpkin Seeds are a great source of manganese, magnesium, tryptophan, and zinc.

Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, and copper.

Almonds are a good source of vitamin E, magnesium, tryptophan – a nutrient important for sleep.

Cacao is high in antioxidants and a great source of magnesium.
These are the cacao nibs that I used:
Divine Organics premium Raw ‘Rio Arriba’ Cacao Nibs 8oz

Please share this post with others if you’ve enjoyed it — thanks!

References:
Mateljan, George. The World’s Healthiest Foods. Seattle, WA. 2007.

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