This just feels like the perfect way to bless the blog with our first Loving Awareness FOOD post… Mmm…tasty, divine…
Holy Heavenly Halva Balls!!
What is FOOD, to you?
For me, food is more than something we just do for sustenance…more than something that helps us to survive.
- Food is medicine.
- It speaks to our soul.
- It has the power to cleanse us, grow us, shape us.
- It fuels us, nourishes us and sometimes even satiates us.
And, as with absolutely everything in life…
The food we take into our bodies is a choice.
I’d go on out on a limb and even say that the food we take into our bodies is a message, even a prayer, to every cell of our being…that informs our body temple how much we love and care for it.
I know there are those out there who are shouting AMEN to THAT! …and I know there are those out there who are saying, seriously, whatever dude! It’s OK. It’s all good!
And, here at Loving Awareness, we know the stellar power of bringing our…well, our Loving Awareness to each and every thought, word and action we choose.
From this vantage point, choosing foods that do our bodies good is a great way to roll!
Some would say no sweets are the absolute best…stay away from sweets all together.
I’m just not that flavor of purist!
I say, life is like sweet nectar, a little slice of heaven here on earth if that’s what we create it into BEing.
And so, a little sweetness on the tongue to remind our soul that we recognize the nectar of it all feels a-ok to me. How about you?
Time for a Treat!
So, this afternoon as I was pondering what kind of Super Full Moon treat I wanted to make to share with the lovelies who will be joining us for our evening Full Moon on the Water aboard our 25 foot Voyageur Canoe named WaterLily…Amaranth popped into my mind. …I know. Random. I agree.
And, in the style of pure of heart Loving Awareness, who am I to judge?!
I followed the nudge…and searched Amaranth Balls on Pinterest. Lo and behold, there was such a thing! And after sifting through some recipes that felt a little less than exciting I saw a link to a video teaching me ‘How to Pop Amaranth’!
Fascinating. I’d never done that! …I set about popping some Amaranth and tuned in deep to see what wanted to be paired with it… Halva, I heard. Hmm…seriously, Halva? But, Halva is usually in a block; I want balls. Inspiration said go with it, make it in balls! And so I did! Combining some popped Amaranth in the balls and then rolling the sticky little sweeties in some more. The results are heavenly!
Thus, Debra’s Heavenly Halva Balls were born!
Did you know amaranth is an ancient grain that is a power-house of nutrition, packed with protein, happens to be gluten free and contains lysine. It’s very versatile; it can even be popped…and that’s how I prepared it today. And…it’s GREAT for your heart! How’s that for a Loving Awareness BOOST?! 🙂
And for those who may be wondering, “what the heck is halva?!”…
Halva is a nutty-sweet confectionary treat with a generally fudge-like texture that is very popular in many regions of the world, particularly the middle-east and Asia. There are many varieties, most have a base of sesame flour or sesame butter (tahini).
Tahini is another oh so good for you food. It’s packed with minerals and loads of the vitamin B’s, plus E! It’s easily digestible (YAY!), protein packed and has only unsaturated fat (that’s the good kind!).
You’re asking: What else did you throw in these balls?!
Well let me tell you…
- along with the tahini and the popped amaranth, I added…
- blackstrap molasses ~ SO yum for you! Safe for diabetics, iron-rich, high in calcium & magnesium, can help with regularity and has bucket loads of other beneficial minerals to boot!
- raw honey ~ has been used for centuries and is known for its healing and rejuvenating qualities. Eating raw honey harvested local to you may even make a world of difference in overcoming chronic allergies!
- and a little vanilla, just ’cause I like it!
- oh! and LOVE.
Here’s the video that taught me how to pop amaranth! It’s short, sweet and easy to follow…
And, without further ado… May I Give You the Recipe, Please?!?
Debra’s Heavenly Halva Balls
10 TBSP – Organic Tahini (raw or roasted)
2-3 TBSP – Blackstrap Molasses
4-5 TBSP – Raw Honey
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 C. Amaranth Grain (unpopped)
Infinite LOVE1st: Pop the Amaranth… heat tall sided kettle (these buggers like to jump right out!) to almost high heat (I used 7) … be sure to let the kettle get nice and hot for a few minutes. Gradually add a fine layer of amaranth to the kettle, use a wooden spoon to keep it moving. Watch it POP! When it finishes popping, transfer to a bowl and continue popping in fine layers until you’ve popped the entire 1/2 C of grain.
2nd: Mix well, tahini, molasses, honey, and vanilla *start with the lesser amounts of honey and molasses and add more to taste or to fix desired consistency for easy ball rolling.
3rd: Add about 1/2 to 3/4 of your popped amaranth… Mix with your hands to combine well. *the remaining popped amaranth will be used to roll the balls in
4th: Roll into 1 inch balls, roll balls in popped amaranth
And Voila! Heavenly Halva Balls! 🙂 A yummy sweet treat that’s gluten free and packed with protein, and a whole lot of other great for you stuff…and a whole lotta LOVE, too!
enJOY!!
