Protein ball recipe of the month - lemon and coconut; chocolate and cranberry

Protein ball recipe of the month (March 2015) – lemon and coconut; chocolate and cranberry

Lawyers need snacks, and I am all for healthy snack options. Including homemade protein balls. This week’s protein ball recipes are from my friend Mieka. Mieka is an engineer. But we won’t hold that against her. Especially when she has protein ball recipes to die for. These recipes are all vegan, gluten free, relatively paleo, but are high energy, so I recommend one ball per snack. Guaranteed to ease strong chocolate cravings.

Recipe 1: Lemon and coconut balls

Ingredients:

500g cashews

Lemon zest from 2 lemons

Lemon juice from 1 lemon

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 cup desiccated coconut

Small amount sweeteners (if required) – rice malt syrup (for vegans), honey, or maple syrup

Method:

Blend all ingredients on high speed until desired texture is created. The mixture should be soft enough to form a ball. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls with your hand. Put in a container and store in the fridge or freezer.

Recipe 2: Chocolate cranberry crunch

Ingredients:

500g almonds

Cranberries (about the same volume as almonds, but could use less or more to control sweetness)

¾ cup dates (dried dates, could also use fresh dates)

¼ cup coconut oil

Natural vanilla

1/3 cup raw cocoa (can use normal unsweetened cocoa too)

Method:

Blend all ingredients on high speed until desired texture is created. The mixture should be soft enough to form a ball. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls with your hand. Put in a container and store in the fridge or freezer.

Helpful notes:

1.       Quantities: these quantities are all estimates. If the mixture does not form a ball add more wet ingredients such as coconut butter or a few drops of water. If the mixture is too wet or sticky to form balls, add more dry ingredients such as nuts or dried coconut.

2.       Storage: Store your protein balls in the fridge or freezer. The lemon and coconut balls are particularly good straight from the freezer. There is usually plenty of space in work freezers so perfect storage location.

3.       Texture: Smooth v rough.  Both protein balls can be made very smooth (see picture of lemon and coconut balls) or rough (see picture of chocolate and cranberry balls). You can make your protein balls smooth by blending for longer. I personally find protein balls involving cashew nuts are better smooth, but the chocolate and cranberry recipe is delicious left chunky.  

4.       Personalisation: If you love lemon, add more lemon zest. Make the recipes your own. Use dried blueberries instead of cranberries; use lime instead of lemon; use macadamias instead of cashews. Live a little.