Cherry Power Balls

Snacks probably make up half of my diet especially when I'm training seriously--I can't make it through more than 3-4 hours without eating something.  I make these balls mainly to serve as an early morning pre-workout snack.  When my sessions start at 6 am, I maximise sleep and getting up to make, eat and digest breakfast hours earlier is not something I'm willing to do.  I've tried nutrition bars but even that is more than I can stomach half an hour before a run/swim/bike ride.  These are the perfect compromise. 

I've made a few different varieties/flavours, but these are currently winning.  Cherry.  I'm sure you could add cacao nibs and they'd be a delicious chocolate cherry flavour--maybe by subbing a quarter cup of the pecans.  Each ball is basically half a Larabar, just enough to get me through till breakfast (especially if I've eaten a big enough dinner the night before) without sitting heavy in my stomach.  

Ingredients
3/4 c pecans
3/4 c almonds
1 c tightly packed dates
1/2 c dried bing cherries (try to find a variety without added sugar or oil)

Method

1. Pulse pecans and almonds in a food processor until chopped and crumbly, careful not to process for too long otherwise you'll end up with a nut butter.
2. Add dates and cherries to processor and process until it begins to stick together. 
3. Weigh table spoons of about 25g of the mixture and roll them between your hands into balls.
4. Voila! They store well in an air tight container in the fridge. 

Vegan Oatmeal Cherry Tahini Cookies

Tahini, its wonderful and not just a base for hummus. It can be deliciously salty and savoury, a dressing for a salad or grain bowl, mixed with miso for a wonderful marinade. OR it can be sweet, a nut butter alternative, spread on toast with honey, a base for frosting (icing for those of you across the pond), you can add it to brownie batter.  The options are endless!  In this recipe I've used tahini to add a slight salty kick to counter balance the sweetness from the raisins. It works, trust. 

This is one of my favourite cookie recipes.  Gluten free, vegan, full of good healthy fats from the tahini, refined sugar free, super moist and delicious, and endlessly customisable. If you wanted an extra treat you can sub in some chocolate chips in place of the cherries/pumpkin seeds. The 1/4 c cherries can be subbed for more raisins (then they are oatmeal raisin cookies), I personally prefer the cherries because their tartness counterbalances the sweetness from the raisins in the batter and complements the tahini. 

Ingredients

1 c gluten-free rolled oats , divided
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 c tahini
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c raisins
1/4 c unsweetened dried cherries (if possible with no oil added)*
1/4 c pumpkin seeds*

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

2. Soak the raisins in warm water for about 10 minutes, doesn't matter if its longer.  Drain and save 1/4 c of the raisin infused water (soaking liquid).

3. Pulse 3/4 c of the oats in a blender or food processor, until finely ground and you've reached a flour like consistency (you just made oat flour!). Do not wash out the food processor/blender, this is important and if you did it you're just creating work for your self. 

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt).  

5. Blend the rehydrated-raisins and 1/4 c of the soaking liquid in the food processor/blender, blend until smooth. Add tahini and vanilla and continue to blend until creamy.

6. Add raisin-tahini paste, cherries, pumpkin seeds r and remaining 1/4 c oats (still whole right--you only blended 3/4 c to flour, remember?) to the bowl of dry ingredients.  Stir until all of the oat flour is absorbed. 

7. Drop heaping tsps of dough on to the baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Gently flatten each heap with the back of a spoon. Bake until the cookies are lightly browned on the bottom about 10 to 12 minutes.   

8. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely--seriously leave them to cool, they need to set a little.

These cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or they freeze remarkably well.  Don't travel with them in a zip lock bag--they will crumble. Believe me.

Notes
*As mentioned above you can mix up the mix ins. Keep them at 1/2 c total, any more than that and you begin to compromise the structural integrity of the cookies. You can use cherries, raisins, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, chocolate chips . . . 

C.J.'s Muffins

I started trying to name these muffins by what's in them. Didn't work, it became buckwheat, almond, zucchini, pumpkin, carrot muffins. That title's just too long.  So C.J's muffins they are. These muffins are healthy, yet delicious. Packed with fibre, low in fat and sugar, they're satisfying--you won't eat them all in one sitting--and they freeze well (or keep in a zip lock bag in your fridge). Perfect snack. I'd take one to work sometimes for a pre run/workout snack and went through a phase of baking a batch every week/every other week for C.J. to take to school. Hence "C.J.'s muffins."

Ingredients
3/4 c buckwheat flour
1/4 c almond meal/flour
1/2 c oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of nutmeg, ground cloves and ginger
1 finely grated courgette (zucchini)
1 finely grated carrot
1 c pumpkin puree
1 tbsp coconut oil (gently heated so it's liquid)
1/4 c agave/maple syrup* 
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk (or other plant based milk)
1 egg*
1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water*

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and fill a standard muffin pan with liners. 
2. Mix the flax seed meal with the water and let it stand for about 5 minutes, until gel like. 
3. Whisk together the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  In another mixing bowl, or measuring cup (like this), whisk together the pumpkin, coconut oil, agave, almond milk, egg and flax-gel until well combined. 
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well to combine.  Fold in the courgette and the carrot and then let the mixture rest for 3-5 minutes. 
5. Use a 1/4 c scoop to divide the mixture into the lined muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes (give or take) until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean. 
6. Enjoy! Great with a slather of greek yogurt or almond butter, or both...

Notes
Agave/maple syrup can be subbed for 1/3 c honey depending on what you have in your cupboard. To make these vegan, substitute the egg for an extra 1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water. If you're not vegan and don't have flax meal, sub it for an extra egg and skip step 2.