Dates, cocoa and pepitas, with almonds, cinnamon, honey & vanilla

Instead of making sugar filled rum balls this Christmas, why don’t you try these tasty energy balls created by Jamie Oliver & his nutrition team.

Packed with medjool dates, these have the double virtue of being high in both fibre and chloride, (works with electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to help balance acids and bases in your body. It also helps move fluid in and out of your cells)

The pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of manganese, magnesium and tryptophan, and a very good source of phosphorus, copper, and protein.

Almonds contain healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin E. The health benefits of almonds include lower blood sugar levels, reduced blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. They can also reduce hunger and promote weight loss.

Helping to bind it all together, you add some puffed rice or puffed quinoa, referred to now as a “Superfood”. Quinoa is considered to be a “complete” protein source, which means that it provides all the essential amino acids

Then we add in some cocoa, turmeric, cinnamon, vanilla and manuka (or raw) honey and the juice from an orange.

This recipe has been taken from “Everyday Super Food” by Jamie Oliver, published by Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd in 2015.

Ingredients

70g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

20g puffed brown rice or puffed quinoa

50g whole almonds

80g medjool dates

1 teaspoon of ground turmeric

1 heaped teaspoon quality cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon manuka (or raw) honey

1 orange

Method

1. Blitz 40g of the pumpkin seeds into a fine dust in a food processor, then decant onto a plate. Place the remaining pumpkin seeds and the puffed rice or quinoa in the processor with the almonds and dates (destone first), then blitz until finely chopped. Add the ground turmeric, along with the cinnamon, cocoa powder and pinch of sea salt.
2. Blitz again until finely ground, then add the vanilla, honey and half the orange juice. Blitz for another 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times, and adding an extra squeeze of orange juice to bind, only if needed – it takes a while for the mixture to come together, so be patient and let the processor work its magic.
3. With wet hands, divide into 24 and roll into balls, dropping them into the pumpkin seed dust as you go. Shake to coat, storing them in the excess dust until needed. They’ll keep happily for 2 weeks in an airtight container.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

• Calories 80
• Fat 5.2g
• Saturates 0.6g
• Protein 2.7g
• Carbs 6g
• Sugars 4.2g
• Fibre 0.5g