These adorable orb shaped edibles are a power packin’ super snack. Bursting with health happy hardware like protein, fiber, vitamins B1, B6, Iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, copper and zinc, these little cuties are almost too good for you – to be so dang GOOD!
But they are. So. Yummy.
Somehow I cracked the code….by cracking INTO the lowly flax-seed.
Loaded with lignans, flax-seed is the #1 source of this all important compound in the human diet and as boring as that may sound…lignan lore is worth a listen!
Hang in there with me, this is actually kind of cool. . .
- when we eat a food containing lignans our bodies just naturally convert them into a metabolite that produces a sort of weak estrogenic (yep, as in hormonal) effect….BUT IN A GOOD WAY!
- the LM (lignan metabolites) actually support the body when estrogen levels are low (hello, hot flashes?) and if the levels are too high (yikes, possible cancer calling; don’t answer) the LM attach themselves to the estrogen receptors which actually block the bad guy effects.
- not only that, but they can beef up your heart health and alleviate other hormone dependant obnoxities like menopausal shiz, prostate problems (no gender discrimination here) and that awful osteoporosis.
- and hey, flax seeds are excellent for keeping your lower intestine clean as a whistle (if you happen to be someone who poops).
Pretty neat right? Sign me up! I want balanced hormones and a digestive track that runs like a well-timed freight train… I just don’t want to have to choke down a pile of bird seed to do it. And no…..I am not going to stir them into my yogurt or “sprinkle” them in salads (ways I have heard you can consume them). No. Yuk. No. Awful.
These little babies are a delectably delightful way to treat yourself to a sweet snack and get your lignans on, all in a bite sized bit of chocolate dipped decadence. Ready to make your own chewable vitamins? Amazingly enough, this comes pretty close………….
Start by removing the pits from 5 medjool dates, and then stuff them down into a glass measuring cup. Carefully fill this UP TO the 1/2 cup mark with water (NOT a half cup of water, but the total mass of liquid plus dates ending up at 1/2 cup), and set this aside to soak for a bit, about 15 minutes.
Take those flax seeds and grind ’em up so that your hard-working personal eco-system can actually use all of that inherent nutritional goodness. Get out your Vitamix for this move, or any blender that you may own. I used my Nutribullet (a coffee grinder would work just fine for this as well).
Scoop out 1/2 cup of almond butter, and add that to a food processor, along with your pulverized flax powder (but not before you measure out two tablespoons, remove this to a shallow plate and set aside) and the dates, liquid and all, and give this a few pulses – then let ‘er rip….until your mixture forms into a big sticky mass.
Roll out little bite size balls of this “dough”, and place them on a wax paper or foil covered sheet pan small enough to fit into your freezer. Don’t make these too big……you should end up with 23 to 25 balls once you finish up. Now place ’em in the freezer to firm up, about a half an hour, at least.
Create a dipping station. You’ll need some melted chocolate, the leftover flax powder you held aside, and your firmed up balls (yes, I just said that). Spin one of your dough balls through the chocolate; I like to press it up against the side of the bowl to keep the chocolate coating on the thinner side, and then twirl it around in that flax dust. Keep at it until everyone is coated and flaxified. Back into the freezer these go for at least an hour, or as long as you can stand it.
A crackly thin layer of chocolate covers the outside while the inside is dense and chewy. This is the perfect power ball winner, just a quick yummy bite when you’re craving something sweet with a generous side portion of kick-it-up body benefits. Take at least three of these a day you won’t be calling the doctor any time soon.
Take that, FLAX. Really….take the flax. It’s easy.
RECIPE BELOW: This makes about 2 dozen individual bites. Keep them stored in the freezer in a covered container, they will not go solid but stay perfectly firm and chewy. These are so crave worthy and amount of flax-seed you will consume is so substantially good for you that you will want to justify eating the whole tray…..HOWEVER…be warned. – I do not lie when I tell you these guys will put your intestines on the fast track. Not necessarily a bad thing. ALL ABOARD!
- 5 medjool dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup flax seeds (brown or golden, either one is great)
- 1/2 cup almond butter (natural, please....no sugar added)
- water
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- pinch of kosher salt or sea salt
- Push the pitted dates down into a glass measuring cup and then add enough water to fill it to the 1/2 cup mark. Set this aside for at least 15 minutes. If they hang out longer, that is totally fine.
- In a Vitamix, or blender of your choice, grind the flaxseeds down to a fine powder. Remove two tablespoons of the powdery flax from the blender and set that aside on a small shallow plate.
- Take the flax remaining in the blender, and dump that into a food processor along with the almond butter and the soaked dates (and their liquid).*
- Pulse this a few times and then let it rip, until you get a big, cohesive mass.
- Form small balls of the dough, about the size of a large marble and place them on a foil or wax paper lined cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. You should get about 22 - 25 balls depending on the size you roll 'em out. Don't make these too big! They are pretty dense. Pop the balls in the freezer to set up and get nice and cold, at least a half an hour. Longer if you can.
- In a medium size shallow glass bowl, melt those chocolate chips. Just toss them in the microwave for 50 seconds, then let them sit for another 30 seconds or so, and give them a stir. If you still have lumps, pop them back in to the microwave for 5 seconds or so.
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt into that plate of flax seed you set aside, and give that a mix. Get those little balls out of the freezer, and get that chocolate close by. Dip each ball first into the melted chocolate, and then run it through the salted flax powder. Keep dipping and spinning, until all of your balls are coated and dusted.
- BACK INTO THE FREEZER THESE GO!
- For at least an hour, the longer the better. Once they are frozen, place them in a covered container.
- EAT THEM EVERYDAY!
- I am serious! These things are amaze-balls!
- * If you think you can go ahead and mix this dough up in the blender that you just pulverized your flax seeds in......don't. It is waaaay too thick, even for a Vitamix and you will have a really tough time getting it out! So, yeah, lug out the food processor. Ya just gotta do it.
- These little balls of chewy, luscious, lignan love are worth it.
4 Comments
Gosh, those look so good, but if they increase estrogen….how will that affect a male like me? I already know the answer, “not at all.” Keep these recipes coming. Ben
When you eat certain plant foods (like, some yummy flax seeds, perhaps?), the intestine converts their lignans into compounds called enterolactones, which enter the bloodstream…and quite possibly can protect against hormone dependent cancers…..including prostate! So there you go…..besides, these things are just really tasty. ❤❤❤
Pingback: Super Food, Super Good Black Bean Brownies | Kick and Dinner
Pingback: Raw Superfood Brownies with Avocado Buttercream | Kick and Dinner