Omega Bites

These little Omega Bites are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and are a tasty little snack. Great for packing in kid’s lunch boxes too. 

Getting enough protein on a plant-based diet is not something I worry about. As long as we eat enough calories of whole plant foods, we will get enough protein, fiber and all the other components of a healthy diet. Adding in small quantities of nuts and seeds will help us get the Omega-3’s that we need. If you are still reducing your weight or dealing with heart health issues, you will want to limit yourself to one or two of these a week. They are a high-fat food. 

You’ll need a food processor for this recipe. And a stand mixer is recommended, but not absolutely necessary.

Gather your ingredients:

Once you have everything measured out, add the water to the seed mixture.

Start by pulsing the almonds in the food processor until they are broken up a bit. Add the puffed rice, rolled oats, sesame seeds, coconut, and sunflower seeds and pulse until everything is about the size of the sunflower seeds. A rough, coarse mix.

Add that mix to the stand mixer bowl, or a large mixing bowl if you are mixing by hand.

No need to wash the food processor bowl, just add the dried fruit next and pulse. (I chop the dates a bit before I add to the processor. You will only need to pulse the dried fruit a few times to get it into smaller pieces. If you pulse too much you will get a globby mess.

Add the dried fruit mix to the processed nut/seed mixture.

Mix the peanut butter with the Honee or coconut nectar.

Add the dried fruit and nut/seed mixture to the bowl of the mixer. At the lowest speed, begin mixing. When the fruit is incorporated into the nut/seed mixture, add the peanut butter mixture and the seed/water gell.

Mix slowly and scrape down the sides if necessary to get all the ingredients incorporated.

If it’s too dry to form a ball, add a little bit of water (2-3 tbsp. at a time) until you can form a ball by compressing a tablespoon full of the dough in your hand. If the dough is too sticky, add oats (1/4 cup at a time) until you have the texture necessary to form balls.

I use a small cookie scoop to measure out each ball into my hand. Press and roll and place on a sheet pan covered with parchment or waxed paper or a silicone mat.

An alternative to balls is to press into a parchment lined pan. Leave parchment hanging over the sides so you can easily lift the whole thing out onto a cutting board after they have chilled and hardened.

Put the balls or pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes until they are firm.

If using the chocolate, melt in the microwave in a glass bowl or over a double boiler. Stir really fast and hard when it is all melted. This seems to help the chocolate keep its color.

Dip each ball into the chocolate as much as you like (I just dipped their little bottoms in) and put back onto the sheet pan and refrigerate until the chocolate has hardened.

There ya go! Little bites of OMeGa goodness. (okay, okay, I know that was a lame play on words…I’m a nerd.)

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Omega Bites

These little Omega Bites are a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids and are a tasty little snack. Great for packing in kid's lunch boxes too. 

Course: Dessert, Snack

Keyword: Balls, Omega Bites, Protien Balls

Author: Trish Hall

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 1/2 cups puffed rice
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup chopped raisins, dried berries, cranberries or a mix of all I used Trader Joe's Golden Berry Blend
• 1 cup dates, chopped
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 3 tbsp flax seeds
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 3/4 cup Bee Free Honee or coconut nectar

Optional chocolate coating:

• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Add the almonds to the food processor and pulse until they are broken up a bit. 

2. Add the puffed rice, rolled oats, sesame seeds, coconut, and sunflower seeds. Pulse until almonds are broken into small bits about the size of the sunflower seeds. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) add the processed ingredients and set aside. 

4. Add dried fruit to the processor and pulse a few times. Add the processed dried fruit to the mixer bowl. 

5. In a small bowl, add the flax, chia and hemp seeds. Add water and set aside.

6. In another small bowl, mix the peanut butter and Honee. Add that to the mixer bowl. 

7. When the seed/water mixture has gelled, add it to the other ingredients. 

8. Mix slowly until everything is completely mixed together and you can form a ball with your hands. If necessary, add water (2-3 tbsp at a time) until you can form a ball by compressing in your hands. 

   Add more oats (1/4 cup at a time) if the dough is too sticky to work with. 

9. Use a cookie scoop or small spoon to measure out each ball into your hands, press, and roll into a ball. Place ball on a sheet pan lined with parchment, waxed paper or a silicone mat. 

10. As an alternative to balls, you can press the mixture into a large pan lined with parchment. Leave parchment hanging over sides to use to lift out of the pan onto a cutting board after it chills. 

11. Put the balls or pan into the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

12. If using the chocolate, melt in a glass bowl in the microwave or over a pot of boiling water, stirring often. When melted, whisk it hard and fast. This seems to help the chocolate retain its color and texture after chilling. 

13. Dip the chilled balls or cut squares into the melted chocolate and gently tap off excess chocolate. Place back onto lined sheet pan and chill in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes until chocolate has set. 

14. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. 

Recipe Notes

This recipe is very adaptable. You can substitute other kinds of nut butter. You can use puffed millet or other grain instead of puffed rice. The possibilities are endless.