No-Bake Lemon Coconut Protein Bites

Originally posted on Hummusapian

We can’t make enough protein bites, balls or treats a week. When we saw dietitian Alexis Joseph’s recipe on her blog Hummusapien, we knew we had to make them stat. It even uses our favorite trending (and gluten-free) flour: coconut flour. As Alexis says, “If coconut flour intimidates you, don’t let it. Since it’s literally just super ground up coconut, using it in recipes in place of traditional flour adds boatloads of fiber (and a bit of plant-powered protein, too) without all the carbohydrates of traditional wheat flour. It’s also lower in fat than nut flour like almond meal. Did I mention it costs about three dollars? Mmmmhmmmm.”

Ingredients

8 pitted Medjool dates
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup coconut flour
1 serving Vanilla Vega® Protein & Greens
Pinch of salt
1-2 Tbsp almond milk, if needed
Unsweetened shredded coconut, for rolling

Preparation

Place dates, applesauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large food processor. Process until dates look nearly pureed and mixture is very-well combined.
Add coconut flour, Vega® Protein & Greens, and salt. Process until mixture forms a smooth ball of “dough.” (If mixture looks too dry, add almond milk.)
Roll into 10 balls.
Place about ½ cup coconut in a small bowl and roll balls in coconut, if desired. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Two bites have more than 5 grams of protein.