I made these with a bunch of 5 year olds last year when I visited a local school to chat about how food is grown, what seasonal produce means and why food waste is bad for the environment. These little guys loved our session, and whilst they were skeptical that the inners of a pumpkin would taste nice, these went down a storm.
This is the perfect recipe for the inners of your carved halloween pumpkin this year, literally nothing goes to waste. And best of all, no toxic gases are being produced from the millions of pumpkin inners being chucked in to plastic bags each year on to our landfills. It’s a win win. And let’s be honest, why pay for something so vibrant and delicious and not eat a bit of it?
This is the perfect way to squeeze a little bit of pumpkin goodness in to little ones. Bursting full of plant power fibre and protein, these little balls are sweetened naturally by adding the pumpkin puree and dates. The Tahini not only provides an alternative to the usual nut based protein balls, but its also a rich source of Vit B, the perfect energy booster.
Toss them in some Pumpkin Seed Brittle for an extra sweet treat!
No Waste spiced Pumpkin plant power Balls, tossed in pumpkin seed brittle
FODMAP friendly, vegan, nut free, refined sugar free
Ingredients
- 135g Oats
- 7 Medjool Dates, soaked and pitted
- 3 tbsp Pumpkin Puree
- 1/2 cup Tahini
- 3 tbsp Ground Flax Meal
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ginger
- Hanful of Pumpkin Seeds
- Dash of Maple Syrup
Instructions
- Process oats in a food processor until they form a chunky flour and set aside in a bowl.
- Place dates in the food processor and whizz until they form a dough.
- Pour oat flour back into the food processor with the dates along with all the rest of the ingredients. Process until a dough forms.
- Form the dough in to small balls and set to one side until all balls have been rolled
- Place the Pumpkin Seeds in a frying pan on a low heat and gently toast. As the seeds begin to brown, turn off the heat and drizzle a little maple syrup, mix to combine and pour on to a plate to cool.
- Once cool, finely chop (or place in a mixer and blitz for a few seconds) and use to coat each energy ball. I prefer to roll each energy ball in the seeds, but you could place the seeds in a bag and drop a few balls in at a time, give it a good shake and you’ll get the same result.
Notes
Try adding some toasted coconut to your pumpkin seeds for some added pant based goodness - coconuts are particularly high in manganese, perfect for keeping out bones nice and strong.
Swap out half of the oats for a pecan nuts, not only do they go perfectly with the pumpkin but they’re an essential source of plant based fibre.
If you’re feeling brave, add a pinch of Cayenne Pepper, the little kick turns these snacks in to something special. What’s more the capsaicin in the pepper helps fight those pesky winter germs.