Thursday, July 19, 2012

Lemon-cashew-sesame truffle balls

I have a bit of a thing for lemons at the moment.

This has nothing to do with our own lemon tree, which is still too young to be producing fruit (or at least that's the story I'm sticking to, given that we don't have any fruit). Others' lemon trees, however, seem to be producing enough fruit to share. There have been lemons at work, at my parent's house, and at my other work. As a result, ultimately there have been lemons at my house.

A fortnight ago I took three lemons home. I spent a week looking at them. They sat in the fruit bowl and looked back. Eventually I stopped asking them what they wanted to be (they weren't very communicative) and decided their fate for them. One lemon went to truffle balls, one lemon went to a dinner dish, and one lemon went to a side dish.

For today, we have the truffle balls. You may be able to deduce that more lemon recipes will be coming soon.


Let's focus on one thing at a time though. After all, these lemon-cashew-sesame balls deserve full attention. They are delicate, truffle-like, and might make you shut your eyes as you eat them. (Or maybe that is just me.) They go well with tea, and could justifiably be eaten at just about any time of day.

I'm pretty taken with them.


As a bonus, they are vegan, low in sugar, almost raw, and have an ingredient list that packs a healthy punch.

Also, you can have fun licking the bowl.

Lemon-cashew-sesame truffle balls
Inspired by lemon
Makes about 20 balls
Vegan
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup oats
2 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon (~1 tsp grated lemon rind)
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp agave (I used 1 1/2 tbsp, which gave a just sweet result)
1 - 2 tbsp water (I used 2 tbsp)


Method
Place the cashews, sesame seeds and oats in a food processor and process until fine and starting to clump together.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and agave and process briefly to combine. Add the water gradually, whilst processing, until the mixture is smooth.

Roll into small balls and set in the fridge for a few hours. Store in the fridge (they taste 'duller' when frozen).


The flavours of these come through in stages. Lemon, first, delicate but definitely present. Then the sesame, combining with the lemon to allude just slightly to tahini. The cashew comes through last, lifting the flavours and bringing them together in a very pleasing way.

The result is slightly sweet. Very moreish. Soft yet chewy.

Highly recommended.

How is the lemon situation at your house?

Submitted to Rikki's Wellness Weekend.

31 comments:

  1. having lemons is fun even if they don't tell you how to use them. I think I would love these - they sound a little like the lemon slice that I loved as a kid. I am saving the last few lemons off my tree for a dessert I loved when little

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    1. I'll look forward to hearing about that Johanna :)

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  2. How fun! I wish I had some sort of fruit tree near me, but I don't :( Those truffle balls sound delicious.

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    1. Perhaps you can make friends with tree owners? :P And thank you!

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  3. I love lemons. They really are one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen. I cook with them all the time. (Shame you don't have any lemons on your tree but I'm sure an enormous harvest is coming your way soon!) What lovely little balls. They would be delicious with the agave and lemon zest in them - great balance xx

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    1. I have great hopes for that enormous harvest - I hope it arrives or I'll be very disappointed!

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  4. goosh, I am hungry and more hungry reading through and looking at the pics

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    1. Hopefully you found something to quench that hunger :D

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  5. hmmm i bet the lemon + cashew flavor is amazing. great recupe!!

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  6. Ooh, these are like my lemon poppyseed ones but without the poppyseeds! I love lemon desserts :)

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    1. So they are! I just went and reminded myself of your recipe. I like that you used dates and prunes (rather than agave as here) - I was fearful that dates would turn things brown but it seems my fear was misplaced :) I really should check your recipe page before making any truffle balls, you pretty much have all flavours covered!

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  7. YUM.... I've actually never tried a lemon vegan truffle... you may just be tempting me to do so. I usually just got the chocolate route ;)

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    1. It is a reliable route, the chocolate one :)

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  8. i've always loved lemons...when i was little i would suck on them like oranges! :) these are cutie little balls and i'll bet taste just as awesome!! sadly, i don't even have a puny lemon tree that may one day at least grow me some lemons...hehe.

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    1. I like to suck on them too! Yay for a fellow lemon sucker :P

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  9. These truffles sound fabulous! Would they work with other nuts too?

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    1. Absolutely! Probably just about any would work actually :)

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  10. These sound delectable! I love lemon-infused treats in any form. :) Thanks so much for linking up to Wellness Weekend this week! :D

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    1. Thanks so much for hosting! I'm glad you like the look of these :)

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  11. These look amazing! I love lemon in just about anything. :) These look really easy to make Kari. :) Don't you hate it when food doesn't tell you what they want to be!?

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    1. Oh, I do! It's very unhelpful of it :P These are really easy to make Brandi - about 5 minutes total effort!

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  12. Lemony desserts are some of my favorites, so I can definitely understand the obsession. Lemon sesame sounds like a combo that should not be missed! I wish I had these to munch on right now.

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    1. I wish I hadn't eaten so many so fast - I think I'll have to make another batch :P

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  13. I'm obsessed with lemon all the time - it's not just a bit of a thing - so these look right up my alley.

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  14. Ooh, your lemon obsession is a Very Good Thing. It resulted in me getting gifted some lemon slice while in Melbourne, which was seriously fantastic!

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    1. I am so thrilled that you liked the lemon slice Theresa :) I also find it lovely that a recipe from Perth was made for you, who lives in Townsville, whilst in Melbourne!

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  15. These sound great, I'm always on the lookout for vegan lemony sweet recipes! I'm really glad they are *almost* raw as I find the raw food tag to be a little unappetising. ;)

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    1. I do seem to have a fondness for cooked foods, myself. And often I am close to a raw creation and can't help but throw oats in :) I'm glad I'm not the only one!

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