Yummy vegan recipe :)

I forgot to share this in my previous post, so I thought I'd give this recipe its' own little blog post. :)  The recipe is for yummy vegan "raw balls"!  I know, I know...the name's a little odd, but trust me, the taste is anything but weird.  And, even if you're a little skeptical of carob (a great chocolate alternative), I can almost guarantee that you'll love these.  I loooove carob, myself.  Here is the recipe, courtesy of Alicia Silverstone (from her new, must-read book, The Kind Diet):

Raw Balls

Makes 10 to 12 Balls

      1/2 cup walnuts                                                 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
      1/2 cup pitted dates                                           1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
      Scant 1/2 cup raw carob powder                       1/2 cup whole almonds
      Scant 1/2 cup maple syrup                                 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
      1/2 cup almond butter                                             

Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until coarsely ground.  Add the dates, and pulse until well combined with the nuts.  Add the carob powder, syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract, and salt.  Process until the mixture is thick and smooth.  Add the almonds, and pulse a few times until combined; you want them to remain in crunchy chunks.

Form the mixture into golf-ball-size [or smaller] balls with your hands.  Roll the balls in coconut.  Place in a sealed container in the freezer until hardened.


FYI:  Make sure that you have a powerful food processor, and that you only make one batch at a time!  The first time I made these, the motor of the little food processor Dave and I bought at Target died.  And the second time I made these, I tried to make a triple batch with our new, more powerful food processor and the motor stopped working (the mixture can get quite thick and sticky).  Luckily, though, I was able to save the mixture and the food processor started working again...and everything turned out fine.  Phew!