Passion Fruit Energy Balls

These energy balls contain four simple wholesome ingredients and are a delicious healthy snack.

Passion fruit (or Maracuja) is an exotic fruit which is known for its sweet-and-sour taste. Passion fruits are rich in antioxidants. They contain vitamin A and vitamin C. In some regions of the world, such as the Portuguese island of Madeira, different types of passion fruit are cultivated. There exist passion fruits that taste like tomato, melon, orange, etc. In this recipe for energy balls, we use the most widely spread type of passion fruit in Europe, i.e. the purple passion fruit. Nevertheless, you can experiment with any another type of passion fruit.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of raw cashew nuts

• 5 Medjool dates

• 2 tbsp of coconut flakes

• 1 passion fruit

Preparation:

1. In a food processor, process the cashew nuts for about 30 seconds until they break down into small pieces (preferably, before reaching the stage of a nut flour).

2. Add the Medjool dates and the coconut flakes and process again to disperse the dates evenly and obtain a homogeneous mixture.

3. Extract the juice and the pulp of the passion fruit into a bowl and add to it the mixture of cashew nuts, dates and coconut flakes. Mix well - the mixture should be moist but not overly wet.

4. Make balls from the mixture and coat them with coconut flakes, if desired. Enjoy!

The recipe makes approximately 22 medium-sized balls.

These energy balls are raw, vegan and made with fresh fruit.

Remarks:

• When processing the cashew nuts in the beginning, make sure not to over-process. If you do so, the cashews would start releasing their oils and the mixture might become greasy. In contrast, what we are going for in this recipe are cashew chunks. For instance, small cashew pieces can be observed in the pictures.

• The recipe requires Medjool dates which are normally bigger than other types of dates. Make sure you use more dates if you are going for another type of dates. The amount of dates very much depends on a person's preferences - the measurements in the recipe yield a good balance between sweetness and sourness.

• These energy balls can be also consumed as a pre-workout snack. They give an extra kick of energy without being overly sweet.

The sourness of the Maracuja combines extremely well with the sweetness of the coconut and the Medjool dates to offer a unique taste of freshness.