Shakti Balls - Like a sweet treat but trying to be more healthy in your choices? Try these delicious treats as an alternative.
After I teach a Kundalini workshop, I like to provide my students with a little energy boost for the journey home and this healthy snack is very popular as you can see from the photograph - I wasn't quick enough getting my camera out to show the box full!
Ingredients
Basic mix:
dates
sultanas
sunflower seeds
pumpkin seeds
water
desiccated coconut
Optional extras:
carob
nuts - cashew, brazil, almonds,
other dried fruit - apricots, currants, raisins,
seeds - sesame, linseed
Method
Soak a small bag of dates overnight in a little water - stir occasionally to ensure all the dates get a dip in the water.
Strain the water off and mash with a potato masher (alternatively you can just chop them but soaking makes them moist and its much easier to mash them than chop as they stick to the knife)
Place sultanas, sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a blender and give them a quick whizz - you can make them very fine or leave them chunky - or half and half.
Mix the sultanas, sunflower and pumpkin seed mix into the mashed dates.
Use two teaspoons to take out some mixture and shape into a ball - as the mix is very sticky I prefer to spoon out with the teaspoons and put on a chopping board and then gently roll between my hands to make a more rounded shape.
Place some desiccated coconut into a small bowl and shake over the ball. Place into a container/on a plate.
That's it - very simple and very tasty. As there is no cooking involved this can be a fun activity for children too.
Optional extras:
You can be very creative with the mix - here's some additional mixtures I've added to the basic mix
Orange and cranberry - instead of water, soak in the juice of an orange and add a bit of orange zest to the mixture together with some dried cranberries
Cherry and coconut - place a glace cherry in the centre of the balls and coat in coconut as usual (you could also add some coconut to the mix too if you want)
Carob - instead of coconut, coat the balls with carob powder - a great chocolate substitute (however I have yet to be able to make these look attractive as the moisture in the mixture tends to be absorbed by the carob so you lose the lovely powdery effect that you have when you first make them - still taste delicious though)
Chopped nuts - roll in chopped nuts instead of coconut or add to the basic mix. You can just use one type of nut or you can add a few.
Apricot and carob - instead of sultanas use chopped apricots and coat in carob
Health bomb - include linseeds in the seed mix and roll in sesame seeds
You can really be as creative as you want - one of my students made some 'naughty balls' for Christmas - soak dates in brandy or sherry overnight and then add chopped nuts and coat in melted chocolate. You could dust with gold or silver edible glitter to make them more special too!