Dates and nuts Ladoo / Healthy Energy balls – No sugar added

This Diwali I bring to you a perfectly healthy dessert with no refined sugar and heart healthy nuts. Don’t you think its a great way to celebrate?

So Wishing you all a very Healthy, Happy and Prosperous Diwali 🙂

Diwali is the biggest of all Hindu festivals. It is typically a 5 day celebration and it signifies good over evil and hope over despair. It is also called the festival of lights. Every house is lit with oil lamps typically made of clay and inserted with a cotton wick. Not to mention the abundance of fire crackers which is lighted throughout this time.

Traditions and festivities have a special place in my heart. Even if not extravagant, I make a sweet or so on this special occasion.

We were on a road trip across Tennessee for the past couple of days. The fall colors were beautiful beyond words.

We visited a small mountain town Gatlinburg which is located below the famous smokey mountains. At some places fall colors were at their peak and thats all what we wanted to see. Agnel and I were just trying to absorb the beauty and the work of nature. Living in Florida we miss the different colors  but when we think about the icy conditions and knowing that we don’t have to scrape the ice off the cars and from the driveway, its a feeling of relief.

Beauty apart, I cannot mention the amount of sugar and fried stuff we gorged on. I wanted to make something sweet but no way was I going to use refined sugar and fat for some more time. I had some dates lying in my pantry which I thought would be a good fix and a great substitution for sugar. So a ladoo or so called energy ball was the solution. When you have that terrible sugar cravings or a need for burst of energy in the morning this can be a good idea.

Substitute almonds and cashews with your favorite nuts. Use walnuts, peanuts, pistachios, pecans. If you try this with something else please don’t hesitate to drop in a word.

Dry roast the nuts, let it cool slightly and coarsely grind them. Keep aside.

[To dry roast the nuts in a pan, add the nuts in the pan without oil and place it on medium heat. Stir the nuts in between until warm and lightly toasted.

To roast in a microwave: Layer the nuts in a single layer in a microwave safe plate. Pop in in the microwave for about 1 minute to 1 and 1/2 minute.]

Grind the dates in a food processor or mixer. Transfer it to a pan, add oil and cook it on medium heat till the dates soften.

Add the ground nuts to the dates and mix well until it all comes together.

Let the mixture cool slightly. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and roll it into balls with the palm of your hands. Store in an airtight container.

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Dates and nuts Ladoo / Healthy Energy balls – No sugar added

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

 

Servings: 12 small balls/ladoos

Ingredients

• 15 medjool dates or any soft dates pitted
• 1/2 cup toasted nuts coarsely ground (I used cashews and whole almonds)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• Honey if needed

Instructions

1. Dry roast the nuts, let it cool slightly and coarsely grind them. Keep aside.
2. [To dry roast the nuts in a pan, add the nuts in the pan without oil and place it on medium heat. Stir the nuts in between until warm and lightly toasted.
3. To roast in a microwave: Layer the nuts in a single layer in a microwave safe plate. Pop in in the microwave for about 1 minute to 1 and 1/2 minute.]
4. Grind the dates in a food processor or mixer. Transfer it to a pan, add oil and cook it on medium heat till the dates soften.
5. Add the ground nuts to the dates and mix well until it all comes together. Taste and add few teaspoons of honey if needed. Take it off the heat.
6. Let the mixture cool slightly. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and roll it into balls with the palm of your hands. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Notes

I did not add honey and found that it had enough sweetness but Mr A said it needed some more sweetness. So taste and add honey as needed and cook it for additional minute after adding honey.