Sprouted Sunflower Seed Truffles

Hello all, I'm Jenné and I have a serious food, make that raw vegan food, obsession.  Is this healthy?  I guarantee you that it is.   So what special treat did I recently make?  Raw Sunflower Truffles.  Using sprouted sunflower seeds, dried apricots, shredded coconut, and a couple of other ingredients, I created my new favorite sweet snack.

Growing up, my dad always ate sunflower seeds in the car.  He'd pick up a bag at the gas station, salted shelled seeds, and snack on them throughout the day, spitting the seeds into empty red plastic cups, or dropping them out of the window as he drove.  I always loved munching on sunflower seeds with my dad, he seemed so cool breaking the shells open and devouring the small but mighty center.
When I was a little girl the health benefits of certain foods, let alone sunflower seeds, never occurred to me.  However, nowadays, when I find out that a familiar and delicious food is good for me I'm ecstatic! 
You can only imagine my delight when I discovered the wonderful health benefits of this little seed. 
Sunflower seeds are a great source of the antioxidant vitamin E which is touted for it's ability to lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease.  They're also packed with vitamin B and selenium.  Selenium is particularly important because it lowers the amount of oxidative stress on the body.  Working with a group of other nutrients, including vitamin E, selenium basically helps prevent  horrible diseases like arthritis, heart disease and cancer, and who doesn't want to prevent that?  Just a quarter of a cup of sunflower seeds provides us the 90% of the daily recommended value of vitamin E. Sprouting the seeds initiates the germination process--they start growing to become a plant; and when this happens the nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and enzymes multiply.  If you're greedy for nutrients like I am, you'll want to sprout them ahead of time.  It will take about 24 hours.

My dad was here visiting me last week.  He wasn't snacking on sunflower seeds, though I'm pretty sure he still does when he's in the car.  His daughter, excited by his arrival and the brand new food processor he bought her, decided to sprout some sunflower seeds.  I came up with this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and took them to work so my co-workers could give me feedback.  To my delight they were a hit!  
The texture is heavenly.  Biting into one of these truffle balls is like biting into a really fresh donut hole, only 100 times healthier.  They're moist and have a lovely crumb that I would not expect from such a simple raw treat.  
I used Kelapo Coconut Oil.  They sent me a sample in the mail, and I really enjoyed the quality of the oil.  I love rolling half of the batch in shredded coconut and the other in ground pumpkin seeds, as each gives the truffles a subtle uniqueness of taste and texture.   

Aside from the sprouting, expect to spend no more than 20 minutes making these.  They will need to harden a bit in the fridge, but after 45 minutes they'll be ready to devour!   

 Spouted Sunflower Seed Truffles 

(makes about 20 small balls. Again, the seeds take about 24 hours to sprout. Soaking the seeds overnight will also initiate the germination process.  Make sure the seeds are dry before making the

truffles. You'll need a small baking sheet/pan.)

1 cup dried apricots, unsulfured

3 pitted dates, soaked at least an hour

1 cup sprouted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

a pinch of sea salt

coating:

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, ground

1/4 cup shredded coconut

Grind pumpkin seeds in the food processor and set aside in a small bowl.  Place coconut in a small bowl, you'll use them later as the coating.

In a food processor, add the apricots, dates, sunflower seeds, coconut, coconut oil and salt.  Process until the ingredients have blended and become a medium coarse meal.  Using a spoon, scoop a bit of the mixture into the palm of your hand and form small balls about 1 1/2 round tablespoons in size.  Roll each ball in the pumpkin or coconut coating, then place them onto your baking sheet.  Continue until you've used all of the seed mixture, and place the baking sheet into the refrigerator for 45 minutes, to allow the coconut oil to harden.  If you place them in the freezer, I assume they'll be ready in about 20-25 minutes.