Looking for some quick and healthy snack for your mid evening hunger pangs? Or want some good pre or post work out snack that will give you an energy boost. Try this Beetroot and Dates Energy bites which is loaded with nutrient rich dates, oats and Beet.
This energy bites are also a good way to sneak in some healthy beetroot in your kids diet. Kids do not like to eat beet on its own. This recipe is an easy one as the beet gets hidden in oats, dates and the kids favourite cocoa.
The key ingredient – Dates/Khajoor
Dates are a nutrient rich healthy fruit one can add it to their diet. It is one of the best replacements for curbing your sugar cravings. Though high in calories, it is one of the best to use in sugar free dishes to replace sugar naturally. Off course it goes without saying that even though it acts as a natural sugar replacement it should be consumed in moderation.
I like to use soft variety of dates for all my recipes which involve dates as a sugar replacement. They are sweeter and helps in easy binding of the ingredients. For example This Sugar free Khajoor Barfi (Dates & Nuts Roll) is a rich and healthy roll or a barfi which uses khajoor/dates as the natural sugar and also as the main binding ingredient in the roll.
If you are looking for some kid friendly or diabetic friendly treat, try this Eggless, Sugarless, Butter less Dates & Walnut Cake. I bet you would love it to the core. A perfect treat for diabetes if consumed in moderation.
Another healthy breakfast or lunch recipe is this Ragi Banana and Dates Smoothie or this Sugarless Cacao Oats Breakfast Smoothie. This has all the ingredients which will keep you full for longer and help you in your weight loss journey. And if you are looking to have some sweet flatbreads try this Omani Maldouf, A flatbread made with dates. Kids love it and it is also a great travel snack.
The Second main Ingredient – Oats
The next main ingredient in this recipe is Oats. Another healthy grain which is commonly eaten as a porridge. I have already detailed much about oats in this Savory 10 minutes Vegetable Oats Upma. I cannot eat oats in milk or in sweet form and hence I love to include it in savoury forms like in this Vegan Baked Oats and Vegetable Bites or in this Oats and Dalia Idli, or Oats Chivda which is a perfect tea time snack. And lastly if you are looking for some munchies for kids try this Wholemeal Oats Carrot Crackers.
The third main ingredient – BeetRoot
The third main ingredient Beetroot is a root vegetable and a rich source of Iron and Calcium. It has a bit of rough texture when eaten raw and kids do not like it to eat even if cooked. So a good way is to sneak in this healthy beauty into different kid friendly and colourful dishes. Like in this Beetroot Paratha, or in Beetroot and Oats cookies or a favourite breakfast food in our home this Beetroot Idli.
Kids Favourite – Cocoa
So I tried to detail about the main 3 ingredients of this recipe. Another key ingredient in this recipe is Cocoa which helps mask in the flavour of oats and beetroot. Cocoa powder is made using crushing cocoa beans and removing the fat and the butter content. It is another nutritious food. However, try to use organic Cocoa and the dark variety which has more than 70% cocoa to gain the maximum benefits.
So, this recipe was inspired from my blogger friends’ blog, Mayuri’s Jikoni. The day I saw her Beetroot Energy Balls I shortlisted it. And when she was my partner in Food Bloggers Recipe Swap club, I decided to make this healthy, addictive and delicious treats. Before I hop on further check her blog for a versatile collection of vegetarian recipes.
The recipe is quite simple, all you must do is add the dry roasted oats, almond flakes and boiled beetroot in a food processor. Process it and then add the remaining ingredients. Mix everything until it becomes a sticky mass. Then roll into small balls. Lastly add desired coating of choice.
So here goes the recipe of Beetroot and Dates Energy Bites
Beetroot and Dates Energy Bites
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Medium approximately 1/2 Cup Beetroot peeled, cooked and roughly chopped
- 1/2 Cup Oats
- 3/4 Cup Pitted and Roughly Chopped Dates (Original recipe called for 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 Cup almond flakes
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoon Honey or Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange/lemon zest (Grated orange/lemon rind, only the orange/lemon part.)
- a pinch of salt
For Coating
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1-2 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1-2 tablespoon chocolate vermicelli Chocolate shavings
- Other options are seed mix chopped pistachio, desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Dry roast the oats in a pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Be careful else the oats might burn.
- Once done keep it aside. In the same pan dry roast the almond flakes/Slivers for a minute or so. Be very careful, it gets done quickly.
- Let them cool a bit.
- Add the chopped beetroot, Dates and oats in a food processor. Process till roughly chopped.
- Now add the cocoa powder, almond flakes, vanilla extract, salt, orange zest and Honey.
- Process till you get a sticky mass.
- Now take around a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it with your hands to form a ball shape.
- If it sticks too much you can add oats powder or almond powder, or the best would be to keep in the refrigerator for some time.
- Make balls of the remaining dough.
- Roll the balls with the choice of coating as desired. One can enjoy as is without any coating. I used flax seeds, cocoa powder and chocolate vermicelli. The original recipe called for Coconut, cocoa powder and seed mix.
- Refrigerate and serve. (I enjoyed 1-2 as is as was unable to control 😛 and it tasted awesome)
- Keep the remaining balls in fridge.
Video
Notes
- Cup referred is, 1 Cup = 235 ml, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- Keep this refrigerated. Stays good for 7-10 days when refrigerated.
Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate the recipe. Share your pics and tag us.
Subscribe to my email list to get the new recipes straight into your mailbox.
Foodies_RedoingOldPost_26, where today I am updating the contents and adding a recipe card. Pics and recipe remains the same. (Update)
Sasmita
Friday 12th of June 2020
Energy balls with beet, OMG !!! really renu ;) Sounds so so interesting and look wise just WOW . Noone can guess right, particularly kids ;)
Sowmya
Tuesday 9th of June 2020
Love this delicious way to sneak beets in. Perfect for my kid! Oats and dates with beets is a such a guilt free snack for the entire family. Will have to try this asap!!
Jayashree T.Rao
Sunday 7th of June 2020
Energy balls with beet in it, sounds and looks good. I never made with beet in it, it will be a good choice.
Archana
Thursday 4th of June 2020
Wow! The one thing that is attracting me is the fact that this is an easy to make recipe. Lazy me loves this kind. Also since I have to watch my protein intake the use of beets will be something that is delicious n definitely different. Thanks will try.
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
Wednesday 6th of June 2018
These definitely are worth a try...they look and sound so interesting!