My No Bake Energy Bites have been such a huge hit among clients, family, and friends, so I am always experimenting and tweaking the flavors to make unique variations. This time, however, I really went outside the box and added shredded zucchini to the mix. At first, it sounds strange, but honestly it tastes like zucchini bread batter - without all of the processed flour and sugar that goes along with traditional zucchini bread. The main difference between these bites and my original ones, is that because of the watery nature of zucchini, they have the best consistency after freezing them. They've been an awesome little sweet frozen treat after dinner during these hot summer days, but they are also great for a little boost of energy pre-workout or afterwards when your smoothie just isn't cutting it!
Ingredients:
makes 12 bites
1/2 zucchini, chopped
4-6 brazil nuts
1/4 cup unsweetened dried figs
1/2-1 scoop vanilla protein powder (or sub 1/4 cup rolled oats)
1 tbsp chia seeds
Cinnamon powder, to taste
Directions:
1. In a food processor or blender, process the zucchini pieces until finely grated (optional: use a block grater)
2. Add in remaining ingredients and process until smooth. The consistency will be thicker than cake batter but thinner than nut butter.
3. Scoop out (I used 1 tbsp to keep them fairly evenly sized) and roll into balls. They're not going to be perfect because they are very sticky. Slightly wetting your fingers helps.
4. Lay them out on a piece of parchment paper or a long glass container (so they are not overlapping) and freeze overnight. After they are frozen you can consolidate them and store them in the freezer for a few months or more (if they last that long...)
