Energy Balls

Text and recipe by Paula Reyes Gamba

The first time I tried "energy balls" was on a beach in southern Portugal. We were on a road trip in a campervan from north to south, and at one of our stops, we arrived at Praia do Barranco.

The place was spectacular, and it was full of hippies camping. Among them was a group of girls who wanted to make a trade: energy balls in exchange for taking them to the nearest town. We accepted, of course. The energy balls were delicious!

The girls were from Denmark, backpacking through Portugal, and had ended up at that beach as part of a student exchange program. On the way to the village, they told me the recipe and how easy it was to make them.

This week I remembered how delicious those little balls were, and how much they satisfied my hunger when I first tasted them. So, when I wanted a healthy snack, I remembered the recipe and in 10 minutes I had my energy balls ready. Eating one transported me straight to that paradise beach, and I had enough energy to work the rest of the afternoon. This recipe is officially now in my repertoire, and I highly recommend it.

Energy Balls

Preparation time: 10 min

Difficulty: low

Notes: No added sugar, Gluten-free, Vegan

Ingredients (for about 12 balls)

2 cups of pitted dates

1/4 cup shredded coconut + a few extra tablespoons to coat the balls

1/2 cup of almonds

1/2 cup of almond or peanut butter

A pinch of salt

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a food processor - except the tablespoons of shredded coconut - until a homogeneous dough is formed.

Place any unused shredded coconut in a shallow bowl. Set aside.

With clean hands, form small balls and place them in the shallow dish with coconut. Once they are all formed, carefully coat them with coconut.

Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days.