Tahini and Raw Cocoa Energy Balls

Bone friendly | Nutrient Dense | Cholesterol Lowering | Healthy Snack

The many benefits of Tahini:

Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. Sesame seeds contain vast amounts of vitamins and minerals but their hull (hard outer layer) makes it difficult for the body to absorb them.

Consuming the seeds in form of tahini paste allows for a much more efficient intake of all these nutrients. To avoid nutrient loss, however, it is best to use tahini made from un-hulled sesame seeds.

• Tahini is rich in calcium and magnesium, which can have a lowering effect on blood pressure. The high magnesium levels also support healthy, dense bones (specifically in the hip and neck), and can decrease the risk of osteoporosis.

• It also contains phosphorus, lecithin, potassium and iron, as well as the vitamins E, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B15.

• It is a great source of protein

• Sesame seeds contain more phytosterols than many other seeds and nuts, which help lower cholesterol and help prevent cancer.

• Tahini provides a good amount of methionine, which supports liver detoxification.

• Tahini contains the lignans sesamin and sesamol, which are antioxidants that help protect the immune system and balance hormone levels. They can also bind to estrogen receptors, which may protect against hormone-related cancers in postmenopausal women.

• Tahini promotes healthy skin and muscle tone, and healthy cell growth.

And last but not least a word on FAT:

• Tahini does contain significant amounts of fat, but the vast majority are mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, which have a positive impact on heart health and cholesterol levels. Consuming these types of fats helps lowering LDL (Bad) Cholesterol, and decreases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Recipe

(makes 10-12)

• 100 g (Medjool) Dates, pitted

• 3 TBSP Tahini

• 4 TBSP Cocoa

• 1½ TSPN Vanilla Essence

• A Pinch of Sea Salt

• Black and White Sesame seeds for coating

• If you like it sweeter: 1TBSP Date Syrup

Put your dates into a food processor and blitz them until they form a sticky paste.

Add the Tahini paste, raw cocoa, vanilla essence (and date syrup), and sprinkle in your sea salt. Mix everything together, until you have a sticky texture, a bit like wet sand.

Form bite size balls and coat them with white, black, or a mix of both sesame seeds. Put them in an airtight container and let them set for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

They keep up to 10 days in the fridge or can be frozen.