You can make these little balls ahead of time, and store them in the freezer. They just need to thaw before serving.
My husband, who loves chocolate, loves these little treats. If recipes pass his approval, that’s a big deal!
These little balls are also handy year round; just thaw a couple of them at time. (They also make a wonderful breakfast food or after school snack for kids on the go.)
Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats, or 2 cups rolled oat “flour” (grind rolled oats in high-speed blender if you want a smoother texture))
2 cups chopped almonds or walnuts
2 (5-ounce) unsweetened shredded coconut
You may use rolled oats or oat flour. In this picture, I used rolled oats.
2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt black beans; drain liquid out of one can
(for a sweeter ball, you may replace the black beans with two cups of cooked sweet potatoes and add a few more dates)
1 ripe avocado, quartered
3 ripe bananas
3 apples, quartered
3 Tablespoons ground flax seeds soaked ¼ cup water for at least 10 minutes
8-ounce package of pitted dates
½ cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Soak the ground flax seeds in water and set aside.
In a large dishpan, mix the oats, nuts, and shredded coconut with clean hands.
Using a high-speed blender, process the beans, avocado, and bananas until smooth and creamy. Then add the apples, soaked flax seeds, dates and blend until smooth and creamy. Then add the cocoa powder and extracts and blend again until smooth and creamy.
Dump the contents of the bean/fruit paste into the dishpan of oats, nuts, and coconut. With clean hands, mix everything together until thoroughly saturated. Check to see if they can easily form into balls. If they are too dry—add a Tablespoon of nut milk at a time. If they are too wet—add a bit more oats.
Form into balls and place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Freeze until hard, and then transfer them into Ziplock bags for storage in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.
The beans have resistant starch, which are good for gut health. Beans also lower blood sugars after the next meal—and they bind cholesterol in the digestive tract to facilitate its removal from the body.
If you are diabetic, omit the dates and replace with one or two additional bananas and apples.
For family members who are chocolate lovers, melt a package of low-sugar chocolate chips in a double boiler. Using two toothpicks, roll a few of the balls in the melted chocolate and set on wax paper to harden. Freeze until ready to thaw and eat.
Do not set the balls out at room temperature until the day you want to serve them. They need to be stored in the freezer (or they’ll keep in the refrigerator up to a few days).
Hint: Do not tell anyone you put black beans or cooked sweet potatoes in them until after everyone has eaten them—and they’ve raved about how delicious they are! Trust me, if you tell the secret ingredients beforehand, no one will eat them.
For an extra festive look, line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Drop a small dollop of melted dark chocolate onto it. Quickly add some fresh rosemary leaves. pomegranate seeds, and slivered almonds. Place in the freezer until ready to decorate.
To decorate, dab just a tiny bit of melted dark chocolate onto the ball and “glue” the decoration onto it.
Enjoy!
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than fifteen years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich foods. Today, she’s certified in whole plant nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost-effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet. And now, she’s on a mission to bring awareness to the suffocating and potentially deadly trap of eating disorders as well.