Ingredients:
- 200g Medjool dates (pitted). They really are the best dates and worth buying for this recipe.
- 200g pumpkin purée
- 60g pumpkin seeds
- 60g flax seeds
- 60g chia seeds
- 60g toasted coconut flakes or toasted desiccated coconut – toasted gives a great nutty flavour
- 30g cacao powder
- 30g crystallised ginger chopped (optional)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Additional 30g toasted desiccated coconut & chia seeds to coat the balls
Makes 16 – 20
Pumpkin power balls. An unusual but incredible combination of dates, ginger, cacao, coconut and lots of seeds. Delicious nutritional morsels to boost your mid-afternoon slump. Tried and tested with the ‘Tractor’ variety of pumpkin, for its smooth velvety texture and sweet flavour. It is so suitably apt to purée and perfect in a recipe like this. A warning though – power balls are a moreish, ‘taste sensation’ of flavours’ so you will need to ration yourself!
Method:
- Ahead of making the power balls, quarter a Tractor pumpkin and roast it in the oven at 180oC until soft, approximately 35 – 40 minutes.
- Once the flesh is cooked and cooled, cut off the skin and discard and then mash the flesh until soft. Weigh out 200g of purée for this recipe. Any remainder can be added into soup, used in pumpkin pie, muffins, granola or any other recipe that calls for pumpkin purée. It also freezes well so you can keep it for another time.
- Put all the remaining ingredients into a food processor and whizz until everything is combined and has a consistency that you can mould into a ball. Don’t overdo it as you want this to have a nice seedy texture.
- Take a small bowl and add the extra toasted desiccated coconut and chia seeds into it. Take a dessert spoon or so of your mix and make them into balls, rolling them into the coconut chia mix to coat. Once made, store in the fridge to harden, or freeze. They will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Wonderful to share with friends and family.
Did you know?
Power balls are perfect to combat that mid-afternoon energy dip or as a food to go during a walk or sport activity. Providing you with good carbs, fibre, and nutritional benefits of pumpkin, with the addition bonus of naturally sweet dates which are rich in iron, B6 and antioxidants to support body functions. To top off, these are packed with many nutrient dense seeds with awesome mineral content.
Top Tip
Roast your pumpkin the day or night before. You can also omit any seed ingredient in favour of nuts, such as ground or lightly chopped almonds for an alternative version, just keep your 60g weight the same.
This recipe has been lovingly created for Kilduff Farm by Sonia Lee, LeeLifeNutition.
Sonia is a business mentor and accredited coach but also an enthusiastic cook, nutritionally conscious recipe writer and food photographer. She has a Diploma in Culinary Medicine and Applied Nutrition. As a mother of two she is passionate about nutritional content, wellbeing and the intelligent sourcing of ingredients in her cooking. Sonia greatly supports the genuine care and attention that the team at Kilduff Farm invests into their pumpkins and is excited to be working with them to develop and promote their use.