Coconut and Almond Truffles

November 24, 2016December 8, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 7 Comments

These Coconut and Almond Truffles are the perfect way to indulge in some festive cheer without overloading on sugar. Quick and easy to prepare they will provide you with a sweet fix with the addition of a nutritional kick.

These Vegan Coconut and Almond Truffles are the perfect way to indulge in some festive cheer without overloading on sugar. Quick and easy to prepare they will provide you with a sweet fix with the addition of a nutritional kick. The recipe was created by Amanda Hamilton, a TV Nutritionist working in connection with digestive health brand Udo’s Choice.

Ingredients:

80g dates
60g almonds ground or 60g of almond pulp from a Soyabella machine
30g desiccated coconut
15g cocoa powder
2tbsp maple syrup
1/2tsp vanilla essence

Method:

In a food processor blend together the dates, almonds (or leftover almond pulp) until they form a crumbly paste. If it’s too thick, add a little water, but only enough for it to just come together. Depending on personal taste, the truffle mixture doesn’t need to be totally smooth; some nutty pieces and chunks can be a good thing.

Add the cocoa powder and blend until mostly incorporated.

Remove the nut mixture from your food processor and place it in a large bowl. Stir in half of the shredded coconut, maple syrup, vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

If the truffle mixture is too sticky at this point, place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes so it firms up slightly. Measure the truffle mixture out as about 1 heaped tablespoon each.

Roll it into balls by rolling the mixture between your palms then roll the truffles in the remaining shredded coconut.

Truffles are at their best when cold so for the best results place the truffles in the freezer and allow to them harden for at least 1 hour. Store the remaining truffles in the freezer removing only what you are planning to eat now and allow them to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

If this recipe takes your fancy you should definitely pop over to Udo’s Choice website and check they extended selection of nutritional healthy recipes.

Coconut & Lemon Bliss Balls

October 31, 2015November 26, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 7 Comments

These tangy bliss balls have just enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. They are refined sugar free and have a higher protein content thanks to the additional whey protein powder making them an ideal little healthy snack.

100g shredded coconut + some extra for rolling
50g grounded almonds
4tbsp natural honey
2tbsp vanilla whey protein powder (heaped)
2tbsp organic raw cold pressed coconut oil (flat)
1tsp vanilla essence
1 lemon; zest + juice

Method:

Wash and dry your lemon, then zest and juice it removing any pips 😉

In a food processor place all the ingredients and blend until well combined… if needed use a silicone spatula to scrape the sides.

Lemon & Coconut Bliss Balls These tangy bliss balls have just enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. They are refined sugar free and have a higher protein content thanks to the additional whey protein powder making them an ideal little healthy snack. Roll into small balls – you should have enough mixture to create 24 double bite sized bliss balls – then roll in some extra shredded coconut to give them a nice finished look.

Place on a plate, cover with foil and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Keep refrigerated and enjoy as required 🙂

Lemon & Coconut Bliss Balls These tangy bliss balls have just enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. They are refined sugar free and have a higher protein content thanks to the additional whey protein powder making them an ideal little healthy snack. If you aren’t a big fan of lemons, why not try them with oranges instead… I didn’t try it yet but I bet they will be delicious too… just don’t add the entire juice or your mixture might be too loose and it will not “glue” as intended.

Since I started my journey with Thinking Slimmer and slimpod I have lost all my chocolate cravings but I still get the urge to have something sweet from time to time. Despite having some sort of chocolate products in the house they aren’t appealing to me any more… frankly I would rather be standing in the kitchen for half an hour creating a new batch of bliss balls than have a piece of chocolate. It’s funny how people can change, hey? A few month ago, I couldn’t be bothered with making “healthy” snacks; when I wanted something sweet, I wanted it now and this instance… now… I am more than happy to wait until something yummy and tasty and healthy is ready…

Coconut & Lemon Bliss Balls These tangy bliss balls have just enough sweetness to satisfy your sweet tooth cravings. They are refined sugar free and have a higher protein content thanks to the additional whey protein powder making them an ideal little healthy snack. How about you?

What do you do when the need for sweet strikes you?

Dates, Pecans and Coffee Bliss Balls

October 13, 2015November 26, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 15 Comments

These sugar free Dates, Pecans and Coffee Bliss Balls are smooth in texture and offer a much more defined flavour…an ideal chocolate replacement but much healthier and not as sweet. The coffee flavour really comes through so if you are a coffee lover they might be perfect for you. These Dates, Pecans and Coffee Bliss Balls are smooth in texture and offer a much more defined flavour… an ideal chocolate replacement but much healthier and not as sweet.

The coffee flavour really comes through so if you are a coffee lover they might be perfect for you.

Oh and you can also consume them much quicker than my earlier Nut, Seeds & Fruit Bliss Balls as the texture isn’t as coarse and so they do not require as much chewing 🙂

Ingredients:

100g dates
150g pecans
75g ground almonds (+ some more for rolling)
1tsp vanilla essence
1tbsp cocoa powder (flat)
1tbsp raw honey (heaped)
50ml good quality very strong espresso coffee

These Dates, Pecans and Coffee Bliss Balls are smooth in texture and offer a much more defined flavour… an ideal chocolate replacement but much healthier and not as sweet. The coffee flavour really comes through so if you are a coffee lover they might be perfect for you. Method:

De-stone your dates and put them into soak. This time instead of water, soak them in some good quality very strong coffee, 30 minutes to 1 hour should do the trick.

Once their time is up, drain the excess liquid off but do not squeeze the dates dry; you want them moist, so let them retain all of their liquid. Roughly chop them up and set aside.

Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse mix until they are fairly powdery and there isn’t any big chunks left.

Add the ground almonds, honey, cocoa powder, vanilla essence and chopped dates and blitz until you have a smooth mixture.

The final texture of your mixture will depend on how moist your dates were. If the mixture, doesn’t stick add a little bit more honey or a spoonful of coffee; if your mixture is too wet, add some more ground almonds.

Now, it is time to form some balls. Scoop a small amount into your palm and form a small mouth sized ball… repeat until all the mixture is gone.

Finally roll your balls in some ground almond. There are a couple of reasons for this:

they will look more appealing
they will be less sticky

Keep in the refrigerator and enjoy at your own leisure.

Testing new #blissballs – this time dates, walnuts and coffee flavour. Yumm! #food #foodie #healthychoices #healthyliving #healthylifestyle #f52grams #foodgawker #foodporn #edgeofbelgravia #precisionknives

A photo posted by Agata @BarkTime (@hunhun007) on Oct 8, 2015 at 1:13pm PDT

I’ve shared these bliss balls on Instagram a few days ago (yes, they supposed to be walnuts but when it came to making it again, I’ve run out of walnuts) and I was told they look like rum truffles… well this got me to thinking… can I make rum truffle style bliss balls? I haven’t tried it yet but they are on my To Do list and if they work, you will hear about them soon.

Do you have any favourite flavours you would like to see inside a bliss ball?

Nut, Seeds & Fruit Bliss Balls

October 8, 2015October 21, 2015 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 18 Comments

Mixed nuts, seeds and dry fruit bliss balls – a perfect healthy snack boosting your energy levels and providing good nutrition. This is a totally fool proof recipe that is quick and easy to make.

Sugar Free mixed nuts, seeds and dry fruit bliss balls – a perfect healthy snack boosting your energy levels and providing good nutrition. This is a totally fool proof recipe that is quick and easy to make. Lately I have become obsessed with bliss balls. My continued journey to a “new me” has reached the stage that I really want to eat healthy and what could be better than some homemade healthy snacks. I have found that energy bars, especially the baked type, can be a little tricky at times, so my experiments turned to bliss balls, which as it turns out couldn’t be easier to make.

Ingredients:

100g dates
300g mixed nuts and seeds
120g dry fruits
2tbsp raw honey
2tbsp cocoa powder
3tsp chia seeds
1tsp vanilla essence
Shredded coconut for rolling (optional)

Mixed nuts, seeds and dry fruit bliss balls – a perfect healthy snack boosting your energy levels and providing good nutrition. This is a totally fool proof recipe that is quick and easy to make. Method:

De-stone your dates and put them into soak for at least 30 minutes.

Once their time is up, roughly chop your dates and set them aside.

Place your mix nuts and seeds in a food processor and pulse mix until you achieve desired size of crumb. I tend to keep them pretty small but do not get carried away and allow them to turn into a powder.

Add the dry fruits (I used apricots, raisins and cranberries), honey, chia seeds, cocoa and vanilla essence and chopped dates and blitz until you have more or less an even mixture.

If you followed my measurements closely you should have just about the right texture that is perfect for forming.

Scoop a small amount into your palm and form a small mouth sized ball… repeat until all the mixture is gone. It’s messy but fun, and if you don’t have anyone nearby to help turn on the taps so you can wash your hands afterwards you may want to turn it on before you start.

If you opt for a coating, once all the balls are nicely formed, roll them – one by one – in shredded coconut.

Keep refrigerated and enjoy any time of the day… or night, I suppose.

This recipe suits me perfectly. I love mixed flavour of different nuts, seeds and dry fruits but Mark isn’t so keen on them. He thinks that there is way too much going on and the individual flavours are getting lost… Well, what can I say? Men!