Coconut Pie Bites
/Are you currently living somewhere that’s colder than your freezer? Are you drowning yourself in a huge pot of soup under 15 blankets?
I sure would be.
Somehow, Colorado [at least in the Denver area] has dodged the extreme cold snap that half of the country seems to be experiencing right now.
But enough about the weather. I’m sure you’re either sick of experiencing it, hearing about it, or both.
Let’s talklife for a few minutes.
While I’ve told you that I don’t partake in the whole resolution thing, I am currently working on a get my life in order 2014 plan. It took ringing in the new year to realize I need to have more control of my life [mostly speaking about career related things]. It’s something I’ve known for awhile but has left me feeling paralyzed in where + how to start. I always felt like I didn’t have time to work on a larger plan because I’m just trying to survive the day-to-day.
So much to do, all of the time. How can I pause everything to work on life?
I feel that I’m an organized, hard-working individual, but I’ve also realized that I fly by the seat of my pants. I have running to-do lists but no larger plan. I know exactly how + why that happened, but I’ll save the explanation for another day.
The paralyzed feeling has just got to go. I need to start taking action. If that means I blog a little less for a month while I work on painting a loose picture of my life/plan/goals then so be it. I’ve come to realize it will only make things better.
I want to keep talking about this topic throughout the next weeks and months. That is, if you’re up for listening. I want to share more of what I’m going through to make this career work. I want to share more about what I haven’t done, what I need to do, what I’m currently doing, and where I want end up.
And we’ll of course keep talking about food.
Coconut Pie Bites
gluten-free, vegan // yields ~24 1 1/2-inch bites
- 1 cup raw nuts, walnuts/cashews/pecans or a mixture of all three
- 16-20 large medjool dates, pitted
- 2 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- scant 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- melted dark chocolate, optional
Place nuts in a large food processor and turn on until well chopped. Pour into a bowl. Next, process 16 pitted dates until they’re fully chopped and sticking together. Break apart with your hands if a large ball formed.
Place nuts back in the food processor along with the coconut, vanilla, and sea salt. Pulse to combine with the dates and then turn on for about 5 seconds. Squeeze the mixture between your hands to see if it holds together. If not, turn on for another 3-5 seconds and test again. If it’s still not holding well empty the mixture into a bowl. Add 2-4 more dates to your food processor and process until fully chopped. Add the mixture back in, pulse to combine, then turn on for about 5 seconds. Test the mixture again to see if it holds together. Repeat until mixture holds together easily.
I used 18 dates that were on the sticky side. If your mixture is too gooey/sticky, pulse in more coconut 1/4 cup at a time until a bit more firm.
Pack the dough into ~1 1/2-inch balls by passing back and forth between your hands. You don’t actually roll these. Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with chocolate if desired, and refrigerate for about an hour [to firm]before storing in a sealed container or bag. Best kept in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks.
notes: It’s important to use medjool dates for this as they’re much more plump and sticky than some of the other date varieties. You can typically find them in bulk bins or with packaged dried fruit. Costco, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc. all typically carry them. I also highly recommend using the unsweetened shredded coconut. Not a sweetened version and not a low-fat version. If you only have large flaked coconut you could try first grinding that in your food processor until shredded.
If you’re a coconut lover this recipe is for you.
More on life soon.
xo
Ashley
