I know I should have started this blog with a vegetable dish but I just couldn’t resist sharing my favourite treat with you. They are absolutely delicious and packed full of goodness and energy.

Ingredients:
240 gm raw, unsalted nuts (My favourite is a mix of 100gm macadamia and 140gm cashews)
30 gm Cacao powder (* See note below)
14 Fresh dates (Make sure you pit them before using)
2 tbs Tahini (I use Tahini made from hulled sesame seeds as the taste is milder than unhulled)
Container of Desiccated Coconut

Method:
Place nuts & Cacao powder in Thermomix and grind for 5 seconds on speed 9
Add dates and Tahini and mix for 50 seconds on speed 9
Form into balls and roll in desiccated coconut Makes approximately 15 balls

If you haven’t got a Thermomix then you will need to use a powerful blender and possibly a food processor.

* Cacao:
Cacao is cold pressed without solvents so that the nutrients are better preserved than in cocoa. Organic Cacao has over 360% more anti-oxidants than regular cocoa, 21 times more than green tea and 7 times more than dark chocolate. Cacao does not raise blood cholesterol and has no caffeine. These balls are a good way to get some calcium into your diet because both cacao powder and tahini contain calcium in usable forms.