Chocolate cranberry bliss balls with toasted sesame

Bliss balls is what I make when I crave something sweet but don’t want to make a whole cake. I use whatever dried fruits/berries (such as organic apricots, blueberries or mulberries) or fresh dates I have at home. Instead of oil I prefer to get my fat from tahini or any kind of nut butter as I like to use the WHOLE food, plus it’s adds LOTS of awesome flavour. Cacao is every so often in my bliss balls, and maybe some additional flavour such as cinnamon, blueberry powder or like here - cranberry powder! Then it’s the rolling left - coconut, toasted sesame seeds or nuts or berry powder all works perfectly!

These ones are my new favourites because A) they contain tahini which I love B) they are tangy thanks to cranberry powder and C) lightly crisp on the outside thanks to the toasted sesame seeds!

Hope you like them too! And please let me know your favourite bliss ball combinations!

Chocolate cranberry bliss balls with toasted sesame

Makes about 16

Ingredients

3 dl / 1.2 cups rolled oats

12 fresh dates, pitted

3/4 dl / 0.3 cups cacao, preferably raw

2 tsp cranberry powder

2 Tbsp light tahini

2-3 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp cacao nibs (optional)

a good pinch of flakey salt

For rolling

1 dl / 0.4 cups unhulled sesame seeds

How to

Mix the oats, cacao, cranberry powder and salt in a food processor. Add the dates and mix until crumbly. Add tahini and water to combine. Add a bit more water if necessary. Now you might want to add your cacao nibs. The batter should be a bit sticky as the oats will soak up the liquid when you let it sit for a moment.

Pre heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Spread out the sesame seeds on an oven tray and toast the seeds for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Form the batter in to about 16 balls. Roll in the sesame seeds. Store in the fridge or freezer - I like them best well chilled, pretty much straight from the freezer!

Sweet potato hummus with roasted garlic and tarragon

Hummus, my favourite dip/spread/sauce/filling - or what ever you might call it! Except for the lovely texture and delicious flavour I really like hummus because of it's nutrition - it's a great way to add some extra protein (and fibers and vitamins and minerals!) to your plant based meal! Spread it on seed cracker, add to your wrap or have it with a hearty salad. Traditionally a hummus is made of chickpeas, but sometimes I use white beans instead - I really like the variation (food hack #1 in this post - look for easy made variations and cooking will be much more fun and simple!)!

Another way to vary your hummus is to add different veggies (like beetroot, roasted carrot, green peas, grilled bell pepper etc) and herbs - also a perfect way to match the hummus with what ever you're serving it with - or what you're craving at the moment!

In my book The new green salad I share three of my favourite hummus recipes - and one of them you find here below! It happen to be my favourite hummus in the world - irresistibly creamy, sweet and nutty at the same time - with a herby touch! 

Photo by Fanny Hansson for The new green salad (Published by Bonnier Fakta)

 

Sweet potato hummus with roasted garlic and tarragon

Yield about 5 dl

Ingredients

240 grams (about 4 dl) cooked chickpeas *

1 small sweet potato, about 250 grams

1 garlic bulb **

2 tbsp tahini (preferably the light one, made of natural sesame seeds)

1/2 dl water

12 fresh tarragon leafs, or 1 tsp dried tarragon

2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil + extra to drizzle as garnish

Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Garnish

Sesame seeds

Chili flakes 

How to

Pre heat the oven to 200 degres Celsius. Peel the potato and cut in to chunks, put on a baking sheet and mix with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Remove the outer skin from the garlic bulb, enough for you to see the garlic cloves (skin on) separately with but yet you want the whole bulb to stick together. Brush with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Put next to the sweet potatoes and roast in the oven for 30 minutes until potatoes and garlic are soft. Let cool.  

Mix water and tahini until creamy using an immersion blender or food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients (squeeze out the garlic), except for the olive oil and tarragon, mix until creamy. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and tarragon and mix to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds and chili flakes before serving. 

Tip! Make a big batch and store in a air tight container in your fridge! Then you'll be ready for snackning, brunching, dining or having guest at any time. Food hack #2 in this post. A staple in my home! Lasts up to about a week. 

* Either use canned ones, or by dried and soak/cook yourself! If so, make sure to cook a big batch and put the ones you're not using for the recipe in different sized portions in your freezer! Takes about 2 seconds to take out when ever you want to use chickpeas the next time! Food hack #3 in this post) 

* * YES, a whole (!) garlic bulb! After half an hour roasting in the oven it will be all soft and sweet with an almost caramelised kind of flavour. It's lovely!