Tahini energy bites (nut free)

These tahini energy bites are a delicious and nourishing way to get a boost of energy.
Tahini, aka sesame seed paste or sesame seed butter, is a great alternative to the commonly used nut butters.
As a bonus it contains relatively good quantities of calcium, magnesium, selenium and Vitamin E as well as zinc.

Now onto a little bit about energy.
It’s pretty easy to get a burst of energy, theoretically, we just need something sweet to power us.
BUT if we rely on sweets/ chocolate/ ultra-processed treats, that initial burst of energy disappears in sub 30 minutes.
That’s not all. Not only does that energy disappear, we are actually left with less energy after that 30 minutes than the energy we started with before the sweet treat. It causes an energy dip, or crash if you like.
The trick is to combine the sweetness with fibre, fats and protein from wholefood sources.
Fats, fibre and protein slow the rate at which energy is used, giving us a much more prolonged energy source and no crash.

A small note
I added orange zest and juice for a different flavour profile, but feel free to leave this out. The recipe works just as well without it.
Secondly, only use the zest of organic oranges. The conventional stuff is covered in antifungal agents that are not particularly great for human health.

Choosing tahini
The taste and flavour of tahini varies considerably.
The better jars of tahini will come from Middle Eastern stores, have a whiter colour and lighter flavour.
Supermarket tahini is a little bit hit and miss. Some can be a bit bitter, which means you may need to add extra sweetness to your recipe.

Here is how to make these tahini energy bites:

Ingredients to make 6(ish) energy bites

1 tablespoon of tahini
1 tablespoon of agave, honey or maple syrup
A pinch of cinnamon
3 heaped tablespoons of oats
1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon each of 3 different types of seeds, I used pumpkin, sunflower and chia. Ground flax and hemp seeds also work.
1 tablespoon of chocolate chips, roughly chopped - optional but dark chocolate does contain more magnesium
1 tablespoon of orange juice from an orange not a carton
The grated zest of 1/5th of an organic orange

Method:
1. Mix the tahini and agave and stir well until combined. You should end up with the texture of a runny nut butter. If it’s all stuck together, then add a tablespoon of water to loosen it.
Different tahinis will have different fat and moisture content so the water may or may not be needed.
2. Add the remaining ingredients.
Stir everything really well to combine it.
At this point, you should be able to press the “dough” together to form one mass. If it is all sticking together, then take a teaspoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball.
If the mixture is too wet and therefore just a sticky mess, then add more oats.
If it is too dry then add more moisture. Typically, aim to combine a teaspoon of tahini with an equivalent quantity of agave, mix into a paste and add that to the rest of your ingredients.

Tahini hot chocolate

Cacao and tahini are both nutrient-packed ingredients that supply a whole host of otherwise hard-to-find minerals, such as magnesium and zinc.
I actually discovered this recipe at a cafe in Stockholm.
It was one of those “what in the name of hippies are we drinking now” moments but curiosity got the better of me so I ordered one.
It turned out to be a tasty drink whereby tahini added a nutty, creamy profile while the cacao gave it a rich chocolatey note. In summary, it is way more delicious than it sounds.

A word of advice: the quality of the ingredients you use will change this recipe quite considerably.
Basically, don’t be put off by getting this wrong in the first instance. If it’s not quite to your liking, then change the quantities of the ingredients. There is more on this below.

An even bigger word of advice: this is not a nighttime drink. Cacao is a stimulant, so it is much better to consume it in the morning or daytime.
Interestingly, some promising new research suggests cacao in the morning may help to reset our circadian rhythm.
Not that I needed an excuse for a morning hot chocolate, but in case you do then here it is.

Notes on ingredients:

Milk - the milk you use will change the drink. Oat milk is generally sweeter, dairy milk can add creaminess if it’s full fat and almond milk is more likely to be bitter.
Depending on your choice of milk, you may need to add more sweetness (dairy or soy) or less cacao (almond milk).
Cacao - cacao is the raw, higher-quality version of cocoa. It is unsweetened and generally quite bitter but it does contain more nutrients. It’s usually found in the health food or baking section of supermarkets.
My two favourite brands are Naturya and Aduna.
If your drink is not chocolatey enough, then you will need to add more cacao. To do this, mix 1/2 a teaspoon of cacao with one to two teaspoons of milk to form a paste and stir this in. If you try adding more cacao powder it’ll be clumpy and just float to the top.
Tahini - this is a sesame seed paste. You will find this near the spices or in the world food section of supermarkets. Alternatively, there are much nice quality versions in Middle Eastern stores.
The whiter the tahini, the milder flavour. The darker ones tend to be more bitter.
Sweetness - Unless I have really great quality honey then I generally opt for agave for sweetness because it is much sweeter, meaning I can use less. Maple syrup is another great option, however, it is much milder so you may need to add more to achieve the desired sweetness.
Xylitol is a good sugar-free sweetener option, just make sure it is fully dissolved.
Stevia drops work to a variable degree. Personally I find the taste of stevia a bit challenging.
Other ingredients - if you are into it, this recipe works well with a little bit of maca powder, a pinch of cinnamon, or 1/4 of a teaspoon of a mushroom powder such as reishi

Ingredients
1 mug of milk - literally pour the milk in a mug of your choice. Mine was approximately 250ml
2 teaspoons of cacao
2 teaspoons of tahini, reduce to 1 if you are using a non-white tahini
1-2 teaspoons of agave, honey or maple syrup

Method
Pour the milk into a pan and heat on a medium heat.
Put your cacao, tahini and agave in the mug and mix well. It will start forming a paste. This is a good way to avoid lumps of cacao.
Take a tablespoon of the warming milk and mix that into the cacao paste. It will loosen the paste and make sure everything mixes well when you pour the milk in.
Once the milk is fully warmed up, pour it into the mug.
Stir well to mix.
Taste it and adjust the flavour if required. (i.e. add more sweetness or more cacao if it needs a more chocolatey kick.)