He loves me, he loves me not. Well, if the petals didn’t pan out in your favour this year, you can still get your dose of love with these tasty little treats.
I created this recipe for all the lollygagging gift givers as a last minute idea to create a handcrafted treat for your love. Wether you’re single or shacked up, spread the love this weekend. These coconut amaretto love bites are super simple to make and have just a few basic ingredients. And look at that colour! What a stunner! And no I didn’t douse them in artificial food colouring. Nope, ’cause those things are stupid and gross. Artificial food dyes are derived from petroleum and have made their way into a large portion of our food supply. Red 40 & Yellow 5 & 6 contain benzidene, a known carcinogenic substance which has been linked to behavioural problems in children. In Europe, foods containing these dyes must carry labels warning that they may cause hyperactivity in children!
So according to the FDA it’s cool, just don’t eat too much of them and don’t worry, you only MIGHT develop cancer… tisk, tisk. I’m also going to go out on a limb here and say that our consumption of these dyes has increased a whole heck of a lot since 1985. (<—super scientific stat right there). So instead of cancer causing, ADD inducing petroleum based dyes, I turned to Mother Nature to give these treats their magenta hue simply by adding beets. Aside from being beautiful, beets have some serious mojo boosting qualities to help spice things up this V-day without having to trek to the theatre and endure 2+ hours of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.
Beets are said to be “Nature’s Viagra” because of their high content of the nutrient boron, which is said to enhance sex hormones in both men & women. They are also packed full of nitrate which gets converted by our bodies into nitric oxide, a compound that enhances blood flow to your sexy bits.
And let’s face it, nothing beats a homemade gift. So show your pals, lovers, parents and even strangers some love by whipping up a batch of these Coconut Amaretto Love bites.
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened Coconut flakes + 2 Tbsp for rolling
- 1/4 cup Almond meal
- 3 Tbsp Beets, shredded
- 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Raw Honey
- 1 Tbsp Hemp seeds
- 1-2 Medjool dates
- 1/2 tsp Almond extract
- Add all ingredeints to a food processor and pulse until well combined and mixture begins to clump together.
- * You may need to stop pulsing and scrape the sides of the food processor bowl and continue pusling a few times.
- Roll mixture into 10-12 small balls.
- Roll balls in additional 2 tbsp of shredded coconut until coated.
- Eat 'em up!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge or box them up pretty for a pal.
[…] This recipe for Rosemary Roasted Holiday Veggies brings a punch of colour and phytonutrients to your nap-inducing plate of beige. In this recipe, I give you permission to get creative and add your favourite veggies. Let loose and toss in your favourite root veggies, brussels sprouts, carrots, fennel or parsnips. Get colourful and get creative. However, I will say beets are a must in this dish. They are one of my favourite veggies. I juice them, shred them on salads, add them to soups and use them as a natural food dye to make pretty red/pink hummus, dips, smoothies and even desserts like my Coconut Amaretto Love Bites. […]