No-Bake Vegan Marcona Almond and Fig Energy Balls

I awoke at 3am in the morning to, um, check that the pixies still had enough glitter to paint their toenails with, and when I stood up out of bed the world went topsy-turvy and I found myself crashing into the wall opposite.

That’s odd, I thought to myself.

I don’t usually have any problem standing up.

Shrugging the moment of klutziness off, I took a step towards my door. And found myself careening diagonally into the wardrobe, only just saving myself from toppling over in a heap by grabbing onto a hanging jacket.

That’s odd, I thought to myself.

I don’t usually have any problem walking.

More tentatively, this time, I shifted towards the door. I wobbled.

That’s odd, I thought to myself.

I don’t usually wobble.

Eventually, I made it to the pixies and back by holding onto doors/walls/bookshelves, but it was a very strange experience.

Pixie-vertigo. I don’t recommend it, and I’m still unsure what it was all about.

Yes, yes, I know I’ve used this photo before, but I simply don’t have another pixie-ish themed image. Forgive me?

Except, well, maybe the combination of ingredients in my most recent delicious no-bake vegan energy treat set off some sort of chemical reaction that led to time-lapse hallucinogenic dizziness (my dreams were rather bizarre, too. Something about dancing squeezable mustard bottles).

Science folk, what say you? Do fancypants Marcona almonds from pickle-pretzel-Costco, when combined with juicy calcium-rich dried figs and a hint of golden flax and agave, create a whirlpool of spinning-pixie-toppling-dream-visions?

Or is the sole defining feature of these ingredients-when-combined an absolute refusal to look nice in photographs?

My mum always told me that looks aren’t everything.

She also told me that most ailments are “probably just tiredness”, which might make sense in the context of the 3am time-frame of the dizziness.

But that’s not my point.

My point is this: making no-bake treats with nuts and fruits is all sorts of wonderful, because you can get away with throwing in whatever you find in your pantry and, chances are, the result will be wonderful.

For crikey’s sake, apparently I can’t even sit straight without tilting over.

In this case, roasted and salted Marcona almonds mingling with dried figs creates a sweet-salty sensation made more complex and intriguing with the addition of cinnamon, flax, and agave (to bring the dry-ish mix together). And because this recipe is vegan and rather good for you, if I do say so myself, I’m submitting it to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend event.

Do you know what else happened today? I wrote this really discombobulated post.

The end.

No-Bake Vegan Marcona Almond, Fig and Cinnamon Treats

• 100g blanched, roasted, and salted Marcona almonds (normal raw almonds will, of course, suffice)
• 100g dried figs, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tsp ground golden flaxseed
• 2 tsp agave syrup

1. Process the almonds to tiny nubbins (I would’ve liked mine chopped more finely, but the food processor I used wasn’t capable), then add in the figs and process until equally chopped and well mixed.
2. Add in the cinnamon, flax, and agave and process, adding more agave or a little bit of water if needed, until the mixture sticks together when you press a bit between your fingers.
3. Roll into balls, and store in the fridge or freezer.
4. Don’t smack your head on the wall during a dizzy spell.
5. It hurts.

Tagged as: almonds, figs, no-bake, snack balls, vegan