I had no idea what hemp hearts was before last July. Within minutes of discovering what it was, I realized it was the same family as Marijuana. A part of me was blown away excited realizing that I could get up, go to a store and buy it and well, smoke it. Then the next line said, it DID NOT have any such effects of its cousin.
Really? Talk about a dysfunctional family!
If you do a google image search, this is what you see. Can you blame me?
You fix that search word to say “hemp seeds”, and this is what you see.
The latter is what you are looking for if you are a vegetarian on a low carb diet, coz hemp has some pretty awesome vegetable protein in it among other things and your body needs all those. Plenty benefits to Hemp and am just going to let you choose a google search for you to read up, as it’s already there anyway. 🙂
With all the history and background out of the way, next step is to go use it!
Apart from adding hemp in the smoothies you make, one can also bake with it and also make energy balls out of them, which is what I do. There is barely a taste to it, and it blends just fine, easier than chia seeds if you ask me.
Here’s a simple recipe for a snack and something to munch on during those pick me up moments between meals.
HEMP HEARTS ENERGY BALLS:
Unleash the BULL for the week ahead! 😉
Hemp + Protein Powder + Almonds + Peanut butter (OR + Coconut oil)
I used 3 tbsp as a measure for all the ingredients and it’s just easier to calculate that way.
Mixed the dry ingredients together – Hemp hearts and protein powder. I use Cytosport’s whey protein powder as a default and it does have a sweet taste to it. This way I can avoid adding any sweetener of any sorts to the mix.
Fold in 3 tbsp of slightly soft and melted peanut butter. Store bought usually has sugar in it, so if you can make your own or find a machine that can crush it for you, it would be best. In the US, Whole Foods and Wegmans’ have such units.
Add 2 tbsp of almonds Mix it well. At this point, the powders may not come together too well and stick. Adding another 1/2 – 1 tbsp of peanut butter to the mix will make the mix easier to work with. No water though.
With a slightly moist hand, make tiny balls as you roll them firmly. I got about 12 balls, but making smaller balls will be easier to eat through if you are the popping into your mouth and running kind. Keep the balls in the refrigerator for an hour so it solidifies. Lasts a couple of weeks at least on the outside if it isn’t too hot or summer where you are.
The protein powder’s taste does come through, but then am used to it and it balances out the peanut butter taste well, so works for me, hope it does for you!
Let me know!
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This is part of the #AtoZchallenge where I am posting a recipe a day mostly related to Keto and/or the low carb diet. If you are new and here the first time, these are the earlier posts:
G – Glorious Gourds: Zoodle in Creamy Yogurt
A – Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Butter
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