Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Day 6: Chocolate

We are going to SEA WORLD tomorrow! So, you get the final 2 days of Vegetarian Week before I go. And then, I stop. Because my dad will disown me if I continue using this blog to promote a meat-free lifestyle while neglecting to post pictures of his adorable grandchildren (& I think Josh's patience for me taking over our blog with my Vegan agenda is running thin too....)

But I will occasionally post healthy recipes as I come across them because one thing you realize as you try new vegetarian recipes is SURPRISE! they are not all good and some of them are even inedible (on that note, be forewarned that you should not ever, ever, ever try the Veganomicon "beanball" recipe to go with your spaghetti! Gross ! And I seriously will eat anything), so we need to share the good ones THAT OUR CHILDREN WILL EAT with each other as we try to become healthier.

If this has piqued your interest & you are craving more family-friendly meat-or-dairy-free recipes, you should start using my friend Jen's blog & my other friend Angella's blog. Their blogs are totally devoted to posting recipes and these ladies are both formerly carnivorous (heck! they both grew up in Texas!) now-Vegan moms with small children and hungry husbands and they make it work, so they inspire me.

Chocolate Balls (from Jen's blog)

Even if you try none of the other recipes, you MUST try these. I swear, even my dad would like them. They are soooooo good and they are rich enough to satiate any sweet tooth, plus they have lots of protein to fill you up & keep those cravings for sweets from coming back. You keep them in the freezer for snacking/treating anytime.





2 cups nuts and seeds (I use walnuts and chia seeds)




6 Medjool dates, pitted

1/2 cup scant maple syrup




1/2 cup scant cocoa powder




1/2 cup peanut butter (we use the natural kind)




1/2 tsp vanilla extract




1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cups coconut, shredded, unsweetened




Place the nuts in a food processor and process until coarsely ground. Add the dates and pulse until well combined with the nuts. Add the cocoa powder, syrup, vanilla extract, peanut butter, and salt. Process until the mixture is thick and smooth.




Form into small balls. Put in a large ziplock bag in freezer until hardened. Pull several out whenever you want for a guilt-free treat!














3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is my favorite treat! I make them AT LEAST once a week! YUM!

Melody said...

You have piqued my interest. I've already started reading The China Study (fascinating) and I just wrote down all of the ingredients to one of your recipes so that I can try it out!

Cameron and I every now and then say to each other, "We should eat less meat." Not necessarily because of things that we hear about in modern culture (although that does play a part), but more because in the Word of Wisdom it says to eat meat sparingly. Also a couple of weeks ago I was reminded that in the book of Daniel it talks about how he told the king's councilor that he wanted Pulse (like seeds and grains) and water instead of the King's meat and wine. Then he ended up healthier than those that ate the meat and wine.

Anyway, quick question. JOOL dates? Is that somehow different from a regular date? I've never actually bought dates before (though I have eaten them a handful of times) so maybe this is a dumb question and I'll immediately find the answer once I go to the store to purchase them.

Kelli said...

So on this recipe I meant to put Medjool dates. Just realized that. You can get them at Costco or Kroger (which I think is like Smith's).