Keep your healthy eating on a roll with tasty nut balls
If you’re with me on this New Year smoothie adventure, you might begin to ask yourself why this was a good idea: It’s cold out, you’re drinking a cold beverage in place of a meal, this is just crazy. Plus, the activity of chewing and eating is so satisfying and you might not realize just how much you enjoy it until you don’t do it for a meal a day.
To combat the “falling off the wagon” that so easily happens, I’m writing about one of my favorite go-to snacks – nut balls. My friend, Heather, introduced me to these nutrient-dense, delicious, satisfying little round spheres quite a while back. I almost panic when I’m close to running out because they’re such a delicious, easy snack on-the-go and can satisfy a sweet tooth.
I happen to be a snacker among snackers. You can find me in the pantry like clockwork around 4 p.m. eating potato chips. When I’m out of nut balls, the 4 p.m. potato chip attacks are almost a given. I’d talk about my potato chip addiction, but we’re all trying to eat healthier. Perhaps a topic for a column this summer.
Speaking of junk food, I’ve included a recipe for Donut Hole Nut Balls. These really do taste like cinnamon donut holes. Nothing crushed my spirit more than when I found out I couldn’t eat doughnuts anymore (stupid wheat allergy). To get that delicious sweet flavor again, I had to turn to Brazil nuts. Before you turn up your nose, just try them. I know the Brazil nut has a bad reputation – it seems to be the leftover nut from the mixed-nuts dish at holiday gatherings. Chopped up Brazil nuts really have a buttery flavor, and sweetness from maple syrup and warm spiciness from cinnamon make these irresistible. The only downside to these nut balls is that you can’t eat just one. I store mine in the freezer to keep them cold and to slow me down on the consumption. For some reason, they just taste better cold, too.
Making nut balls is a simple, fun activity to do with your kids, grandkids or whatever kid you are lucky enough to have in your life. Otherwise, call a friend and make a pot of coffee. Some of the best memories of my life are spent in the kitchen with loved ones. In fact, I was cleaning out my desk drawer a few days ago and found a photo of my dad and me in my GiGi’s kitchen. Both my dad and Gigi have passed away, so it’s quite a treasure to think back about those precious memories.
My dad would have been elated to hear that I’m writing for the newspaper. My entire career has been built around food, whether it was marketing food, food-related public relations, blogging about food, teaching cooking classes, food styling and now food writing. My dad used to cut out great food articles from the Des Moines Register and send them snail mail to me with Post-Its. I have to believe that he’s smiling down and knows of this new adventure.
Bear with me this month as I continue with more healthy-eating recipes. I promise to share only ones that are super delicious and that I wouldn’t hesitate to serve to guests.
Adriene Rathbun is an enthusiastic Wichita cook who offers cooking classes through her business, Social. Reach her at socialcookingclasses.com or ar@adrienerathbun.com.
Making nut balls
▪ Food processor: You’ll need one of these to grind the nuts up into a meal-like consistency. Unfortunately, a blender won’t work because you’ll end up with nut butter instead. I have a Cuisinart 9-cup. The 8-cups will work, but unfortunately, the tiny food processors don’t work for this because there’s something about the small bowl and the power of those little things that just makes the nuts fly around and barely get chopped.
▪ Nuts: Purchasing nuts in bulk is quite easy these days. You can go to Nifty Nut House, The Farris Wheel, Natural Grocers, Costco, Whole Foods and maybe even Dillons. It’s more cost-effective to purchase in bulk, so I suggest checking prices. I’ve found Costco and Natural Grocers to be most economical.
▪ Other ingredients: Coconut manna, also known as coconut butter, is not the same as coconut oil. It’s processed with the whole coconut, not just the oil. I purchase the Artisana Organics brand at Natural Grocers. Coconut oil, coconut sugar and dried dates are available any place you can purchase groceries.
▪ Get organized: Organize your ingredients by recipe before you begin. It’s what the French call “mise en place,” and it means “everything in its place.” Now you know the extent of my French vocabulary. And most importantly, it’ll save you loads of time running around your kitchen gathering ingredients.
DONUT WHOLE NUT BALLS
2 cups Brazil nuts
1½ cups oat flour (can make from quick-cooking oats)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
Topping
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
In a small bowl, mix coconut sugar and cinnamon and set aside. In a food processor, chop Brazil nuts until finely chopped. Combine chopped nuts, oat flour, coconut oil and maple syrup in a bowl and stir. Squeeze into balls, and roll in topping mixture. If the mixture isn’t sticking together easily, add a bit more maple syrup. Store in the freezer.
– Adriene Rathbun
LEMON CASHEW NUT BALLS
2 cups raw cashews
1/8 cup soft dates (pitted)
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
2 drops lemon extract
1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut butter (manna, not oil)
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon dry stevia or 1-2 drops liquid stevia
In a food processor, combine all the ingredients until the mixture forms a ball. Squeeze some off and see if it sticks together. If it does, spoon equal-size balls and roll them into a round shape. Store in the freezer.
– Adriene Rathbun
This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Keep your healthy eating on a roll with tasty nut balls."