Power spheres with dried fruit and seeds

About a year ago, my sister Lorelei and I made homemade granola bars working from the same recipe and compared notes. Well, there must be something about energy boosting snack foods because we're at it again, this time with power sphere's from Rebar's Modern Food Cookbook.

Melody's Side
I found these power spheres surprising easy, and very rewarding, to make. All the dry ingredients are pulsed in the food processor, mixed with the wet ingredients, refrigerated, rolled into balls and then rolled in the sesame seeds. The result? Great tasting and nutritious power spheres.

I added one tablespoon of maple syrup (just because) and toasted the sesame seeds in a frying pan to bring out the nutty flavour of the seeds. The fruit sweetener is the trickiest part of this recipe- it's found in health food stores and is a little costly, running at about seven dollars.


Lorelei's Side

My power spheres turned out very nicely and I'm already planning to make them again soon. They make an excellent mid-morning snack at work that can be eaten quickly when I'm on the run with a stomach that just won't stop rumbling. As a person with blood sugar issues, I especially like how the high protein content of the peanut butter and seeds keeps me feeling balanced and "even" until lunch.

The only variation I made to the recipe is that I added some almond butter that I had in the fridge in addition to the peanut butter. The recipe calls for fruit sweetener and I used a mixture of one half honey (Babe's Honey) and one half agave nectar (found at a health food store). Also, I also misread the instructions and added sesame seeds right into the dough and therefore did not roll the dough in the seeds. I think that I prefer it this way because it likely makes them less messy to eat.

In Summary
Two-times-two thumbs up! This recipe was a success for both of us and it sounds like we'll both be making these again soon. These are great to make before a road trip, hiking, camping or for nothing more then just another busy week.


Homemade Power Spheres (makes about 25)

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried apricots
3/4 cup dried apples
4 Brown Rice Cakes
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cup Fruit Sweetener (or 333 g, 11.75 oz bottle of blue agave nectar)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter, slightly warmed

Directions
In a food processor, pulse apricots, apples and rice cakes to a fine texture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Next, pulse coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and oats so that things are roughly combined. Add this to the fruit mixture in the large bowl. Add fruit sweetener and peanut butter. Combine until well mixed, cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least one hour.

Roll the dough into bulbs approximately the size of a golf ball. Roll balls until coated in toasted sesame seeds, pressing lightly to ensure that they stick. Serve, or wrap and refrigerate for a quick snack on the go.


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