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Hello my angel-faces! One breakfast option that is very common across my clients' Metabolic Balance plans, is one with nuts, seeds, veggies and fruit. However, not everyone can palate vegetables or seeds first thing in the morning. So I decided to create a simple recipe for vegan protein balls, which can be tailored to meet your Metabolic Balance plan requirements, or your own taste/preferences if you are not on the plan. Hope you like them and tag them if you make them!
Cooking time: 15 min (30 min if roasting)
Ingredients (8xballs)
If you are on the MB plan, you will need to adjust the amounts below to reflect your plan (see notes as well):
Nuts: 40 gr (We are using almonds, but you can use any other nuts and mix them up, if you are not on MB. Just ensure they are not salted!)
Seeds: 30 gr (We are using sunflower seeds, but feel free to add pumpkin seeds as well if you are not on the plan)
Veggies: 95 gr (I like carrots and butternut-squash, as they are slightly sweet, but feel free to experiment with others!)
Fruit: 1 apple (I like apples, as they go nicely with the veggies, but you could also try pears?)
Spices: 2 tsp cinnamon (ceylon)
Optional: 1 tbsp coconut oil (if not on Phase 2), 1 ounce dark chocolate (if not on MB plan) and a pinch of salt.
Method:
I recommend roasting the nuts and the seeds, for extra "nutty" flavour, but you could try doing it without roasting, if you are short on time. To roast, preheat the oven at 170C and place the nuts and seeds over baking paper on a flat tray. Roast for 10-15 min, or until they are golden brown. Or, you can also do it on a pan (if you are not using pumpkin seeds, they tend to pop like popcorn!), as in the picture below, just be careful not to burn them!
While the nuts/seeds are roasting, wash and cut your veggies and fruit, and place in a steamer, for 10-15 minutes, or until soft.
Remove the nuts/seeds from the heat once they are ready and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Do the same with the steamed veggies/fruit.
Place the cooled nuts/seeds in a food processor or blender (although large blenders will be more difficult to handle, particularly if making a small amount).
Blitz until you have a crumbly mix (see the picture below), scrapping down the sides of the processor to ensure it is evenly processed. We don't want them to over-blend into a butter. Then set aside in a bowl (we will be using it to mix all the ingredients together later on, so make sure it is big enough).
Blitz the veggies and fruit as well. I like to have some bits of fruit and veggies in the mix for a bit of a bite and consistency. You could blend them smoother, but just be conscious of not over-blending it if you are planning on making balls (see options below).
Once the veggies/fruit are blitzed, place them in the same bowl as the nuts/seeds. You can then add the cinnamon, and the coconut oil and salt (if using them).
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
Now, you can do a couple of different things. First, you could put the mixture in oven-friendly muffin containers and bake at ~160C for 10-15 minutes to eat right away (I put it on rye bread in the mornings, like in the picture below). Or, you can put the containers directly in the fridge to bake later in the week (I make double the amount for two servings, as they keep nicely for 2-3 days in the fridge).
Or, you can put the mixture in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours, or overnight, to make protein balls. The mixture will gain in consistency in the fridge, so you can then roll it into nice little balls (about 8, like in the picture below). You can then bake them for 15 minutes at ~160. Take them out, and let them cool. While they cool, you can them melt the ounce of chocolate and drizzle it on them. You can eat them hot, or let them cool down and refrigerate (up to 4 days).
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