Tropical Raw Donut Holes--A Tasty & Healthy Treat

I'm a "dabbler" when it comes to cooking and eating. I like to try different ingredients, ways of preparing food and food and diet philosophies. For awhile I was into learning about preparing raw foods and even bought a few books and dried some different recipes. Lately, because I have been studying them in my nutrition program, I have been incorporating more raw foods into my diet. Ultimately, although I agree with a lot of things about a raw foods diet, it isn't something I would do full time--my body craves warm food too much. I will instead just keep up with my dabbling; eating plenty of organic salads, drinking fresh fruit and veggie juices from my juicer and enjoying the occasional raw dessert.

My local co-op store has a great little deli section and I became instantly addicted to the raw "donut holes" they were selling in the grab and go section. They are made with shredded coconut, dates, dried pineapple, sea salt and vanilla--kind of like a Lara Bar in a round donut hole shape. At $3.50 or so for a container of about 5-6, I find them to be a bit spendy and thought I could figure out how to make my own at home.

In doing a little research online, it seems like the recipe probably came from raw food chef, Ani Phyo and I just happened to have a copy of the book, Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, with a version of her recipe in it. So I changed it up just a bit, including supplementing the dried pineapple with some dried mango, making these Tropical Raw Donut Holes.

Tropical Raw Donut Holes

adapted from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen, Ani Phyo

(Makes about 30+ holes depending on the size)

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup dried low-sugar pineapple, chopped

1/2 cup dried low-sugar mango, chopped

1 cup pitted dates

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, separated

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped

Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add pineapple, mango, dates 1/2 cup of the coconut, salt and vanilla and process until mixed well.

Form into small balls and roll the holes in a bowl of the remaining 1/4 cup shredded coconut. Will keep in fridge for a week or so (if they last that long!).

Notes/Results: These turned out perfect, exactly what I wanted and exactly like the ones I was buying--they are chewy, sweet tropical bites of goodness. They are incredibly easy to make and so much cheaper than buying them at the co-op. I loved the touch of mango and would probably leave it in when making them again. A great little snack and I plan to play around with different dried fruit combinations, plus the co-op had a chocolate macaroon version that looked darn good and that I will need to try making. Whether you are into raw foods, a dabbler like me, or just love a sweet, delicious little treat that is made of natural foods and good for you ingredients, give this one a try.

Happy Aloha Friday!