We love the humble carrot in our house, they release a lovely fruity, natural sweetness when you crunch in to them – whether it’s served raw in lunchboxes, grated in to pasta or noodle dishes, or simply roasted it works.
In support of the Veg Power national #EatThemToDefeatThem campaign, I’m working with my children’s school to develop a range of recipes, one for each of the ‘Eat Them to Defeat Them’ veggies, the first, you guessed it, is the delicious carrot.
This recipe is a bit different from the norm, using something savoury in a sweet snack, although It’s not a concept totally alien to us – carrot cake features in any good coffee or tea shop, but this is a quick and easy, low cost super healthy alternative, something I had lots of fun creating with my kiddos over the half term.
Bursting full of plant based fibre and protein, these little balls are naturally sweetened by adding grated carrot and raisins. The oats combined with pecans and chia seeds provides a powerful mix of vitamins and minerals whilst releasing energy super slowly making this the perfect after school snack – works for my three kiddos, two of these keeps them going until dinner!
Raw Carrot Cake Energy Balls
FODMAP Friendly, Vegan, Gluten and Refined Sugar Free
Ingredients
- 120g Oats
- 60g Pecans, lightly toasted
- 60g Raisins, soaked and drained.
- 2 tsp Chia Seeds
- 1 Carrot (small), finely grated
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- Handful of Desicated Coconut to coat, lightly toasted
Instructions
- Lightly toast the pecans in a pan on a low heat for a few minutes, being sure to toss them to stop them from burning. At the same time cover and soak the raisins in boiling water. Once the pecans have browned a little, place in a food processor and pulse until they form a chunky flour.
- Add the oats to the food processor and whizz until they’re combined with the pecans.
- Drain the soaked raisins and add to the food processor along with the rest of the
ingredients, process until a dough forms. - Remove the dough from the food processor and mould it in to small balls (the size of a
table tennis ball is perfect!) and set to one side until all the mixture has been used. - Lightly toast the coconut in a frying pan on a low heat and gently toast, being sure to
toss to prevent it from burning. After a minute or so, transfer the coconut on
to a plate. - Roll each energy ball in the coconut to coat.
- These keep in the fridge in a resealable
container for up to a week (if they last that long!).
Notes
* For a Nut Free version, try swapping out the Pecans for a mix of lightly toasted Sunflower (40g) and Pumpkin Seeds (20g).
* Try adding the zest of one orange to give these an alternative zesty lift.