Vegan Snack Bites

We’re traveling this week with our daughter – a road trip for us, meeting her in Vienna and then off to a few spots in Germany. The last time Lisa was in this part of the world, she was vegetarian, and I know that presented some challenges. Now, she is vegan. We’re visiting some large cities, so I’m hoping we can find some vegan restaurants because a girl needs more than salads and french fries.

To add some fun and variety, I’ve made some vegan treats for our trip. As I googled vegan snack travel, I found Oh She Glows, a great food blog featuring vegan recipes. The author is working on a cookbook which I can’t wait to buy for Lisa.

Adapted from Oh She Glows

Ingredients

1 cup almonds
1 cup dates, pitted
1/2 cup dried sweetened cherries or cranberries
50 g dark chocolate, chopped (no chocolate chips in Poland) just under 1/4 cup
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts
pinch salt
toasted sesame seeds, desiccated coconut, or additional finely chopped nuts

Directions

Finely chop the almonds in a food processor. (I used the mini processor attachment for my immersion blender which meant as ingredients were added I had to divide the dough into four batches. If I had a large, powerful food processor, I would be making these on a regualar basis!)
Set aside 1/3 cup of the chopped almonds
The only dates I could find were a little dry, so I covered them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drained, and then added to the processor. Probably because my processor and motor are small, I had trouble getting this mixed, so I added a few teaspoons of the date water to help it blend
Add the cherries or cranberries and process
Add the chocolate, pecans or walnuts, and salt, process
Stir in the reserved
Roll into balls about an inch in diameter
Roll in sesame seeds, coconut, or nuts
Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use

Note: to toast the sesame seeds, put them in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes, until they begin to take on a little color