SPRING OF HOPE ON FRUIT AND VEGGIES MONDAY - WITH CAROB BALLS

Spring is in the air here in our South African countryside. And with it hope! The hope of new life. The hope of new beginnings. The air is filled with bird sound as well as the fragrances of spring blossoms on the fruit and nut trees here on our homestead. We have a few small patches of the (famous to SA) wild Namaqualand daisies. The greatest natural wildflower show on earth, our Namaqualand daisies attract thousands of annual visitors at the end of the South African winter. And no wonder. With the sudden appearance of mile upon mile of this exquisite carpet of wild daisies it can't but leave a passerby breathless!

I love colour. I love my fresh fruits and veggies. And with the splashes of colour on our homestead I decided to whip up a colourful contribution for my favourite challenge. As @plantstoplanks so rightly states #fruitsandveggiesmonday will "perk your day right up! This is the contest where rain or shine we are still guaranteed a rainbow of beautiful fruits and veggies". Initiated by @lenasveganliving, and hosted by @plantstoplanks I have enjoyed the colour that it has added to the face of Steemit.

For today's recipe, in true keeping with my pregnancy preferences, I'm sharing my calcium and magnesium enriched Carob Ball treat. I was given this recipe by a woman who used to feast on these healthy snacks only when she was pregnant. When I met her she was about to pop baby number 6. I guess the Carob Balls are THAT GOOD!!! They are also very easy. They are made up in three equal parts of these ingredients.

CAROB BALL RECIPE:
1 cup carob powder
1 cup tahini
1 cup chopped dates, nuts and seeds

Always soak nuts and seeds for a minimum of 4 hours but up to overnight. Drain and dry. Today I used walnuts (an excellent brain food) pumpkin and sunflower (zinc and an excellent energy boost). Plus a generous portion of majool dates. On our recent trip to the beautiful Kalahari we were blessed to buy a few kg of fresh majool. Apart from being my favourite health candy, dates are also excellent for labour. I keep them frozen so into my recipe they go.

Because the dates sweeten the Carob Balls quite a bit you only need a little extra sweetening. A tablespoon of maple syrup is more than enough. Make sure to have enough tahini to make a soft and pliable dough. Use a spoon to mix. Carob and tahini are both high in calcium and magnesium as well as having oodles of other health benefits. Both are fiber-rich foods and carob is loaded with antioxidants. Tahini has an assortment of minerals essential for pregnancy; such as iron, selenium and zinc.

The sticky part of the recipe is rolling the bite size balls. It takes a bit of time and is not advisable to snack on until frozen. Yip, you read correctly. These yummy treats need to be kept frozen. They don't freeze solidly but are surprisingly disappointing to eat unless they are frozen! Carob Balls will last months in the freezer, if you can restrain yourself that long! While I wouldn't exchange chocolate with carob I can appreciate the flavour and health benefits of carob. It is a superfood in its own right and just up my alley for a sweet snack with my hot Rooibos tea.