These links are affiliate links to Amazon. You know the drill, if you order through the link, you will not be charged any additional fees but I will get a small compensation for referring you to them.
I've been wanting to do this recipe for awhile, but I've held off for a couple of reasons. First, I've been fighting through some awful side effects of my one maintenance drug. There's not much to be done about that. Second, it isn't so easy to find sugar-free dried blueberries.
Sugar addiction is real, y'all.
Anyway, let's get to the details on why I chose these ingredients.
I always told myself if I was ever a food blogger, I wouldn't make people wade through tons of info before getting to the recipe, but here I am. ...And I don't even have those cool little buttons to skip to the recipe. Mwahahaha!
I want people to carefully consider what they are eating and why, though, so this is why I do this. Any old recipe could just toss together stuff that tastes good. I want to eat intentionally.
And I want that for you, too!
Matcha
Matcha is super fine green tea powder made specifically from young leaves, in case you weren't here for the matcha craze the past decade or in case you just never thought to ask. It contains EGCG, one of the most recommended cancer fighting compounds in the natural health circles. It is naturally caffeinated, but since it also contains L-theanine, one of nature's stress relieving amino acids, the caffeine is released more slowly. Matcha is kind of like the time released version of coffee, in other words. (Maybe don't eat these right before bed.)
And for the weirdos out there, yes, there are some decaf matcha powders.
Unfortunately, matcha grown in China can have high lead levels, so try to find organic, Japanese matcha. I have purchased this one in the past and it is pretty good!
Pepitas
You could use sunflower seed butter for this instead of making your own pepitas. That would save loads of time, however sunflowers are notorious for heavy metal mining. That's awesome if you're planning a phytoremediation project, but not so awesome if you want to eat the seeds. If you choose to eat a lot of sunflower seeds (and no judgement because we do, too!), please try to get organically grown sunflower seed butter. The brand SunButter has an organic, sugar-free option and you can order directly from their site.
I chose to go with pepitas mainly due to this issue, but they have all the same cancer fighting abilities as sunflower seeds, PLUS they make a green tinged butter, which is lovely with matcha. They are helpful for angiogenesis inhibition, apoptosis, and inhibiting JAK/STAT.
Dried Wild Blueberries
We've went over this one before if you have read my other recipes, but blueberries contain anthocyanin. They are the most potent cancer-fighting fruit and wild blueberries are even better. Beware that wild blueberries aren't as sweet or as large.
Hemp Seeds
Vitamin E, zinc, and omega 3s are found in these little nutty bits, and they add a little bit more texture and protein.
Other notes on the ingredients:
The salt sounds weird but I think it is necessary in this recipe. If you must cut it from your diet, consider reducing the amount of matcha powder. Matcha is very dry and will suck all the moisture straight out of your mouth, so salt really gives some dimension to the flavors.
You can use vanilla extract if you can't find a vanilla bean anywhere. Vanilla beans are expensive and it seems a little pointless. They really do make it taste better, though, and you probably shouldn't be eating sweets so often you need tons of vanilla beans. 😉 If you do use extract, just be aware that you might want to experiment with how much and it may require you to add a little more or less water or oat flour.
Ok, so how about that recipe?
3 cups raw, organic pepitas
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup dried wild blueberries
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1/3 cup oat flour, plus more as needed
4 large dates, soaked and pitted
2 teaspoons organic Japanese matcha powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Place pepitas, water, dates, matcha, salt, and vanilla into blender or food processor and blend until a buttery consistency. Transfer into large bowl. Fold in blueberries and hemp seeds. Slowly add oat flour until a thick, dough-like consistency. Line a plate with oat flour and dust hands with flour. Scoop Tablespoon sized amounts to roll into balls. Roll in oat flour until just before absorbed. Place in pan in freezer for at least 20 minutes to set.
Enjoy!
Comments