Lately, I have been trying to completely exclude margarine, white flour, and refined sugar from my diet. It has been an inspiring challenge, and I am happy to say that seeds, nuts, and dates- all ‘whole’ foods- when combined, make very satisfying substitutes for traditional sweets that contain lots of refined, unhealthy ingredients.
You can use any kind of nuts or seeds. For my most recent batch, I used cashew nuts and brazil nuts. The recipe takes all of 10 minutes, as there is no baking or measuring involved. I simply use even amounts of nuts and seeds as I do dates. If I happen to use slightly more nuts and the mixture is a bit dry, I add small amounts of water, by the tablespoon, to make it sticky.
First I grate my nut and seed mixture. I use the grater attachment on the food processor for a chunky texture. If you don’t have a processor, wrap your nuts in muslin cloth and bang them on the counter until they are in small pieces. It may even help to use a hammer-like tool. Next, put the broken/grated nuts into a bowl.
At this point, I use the steel blade on the food processor to puree my dates into a thick paste. I don’t think you can get a puree going manually. The closest you’ll get to that will probably be a hand grinder.
After the dates are pureed, I add the two mixtures together using a spoon and/or my hand. Once everything is well blended, I roll them out into balls and chill in the fridge. They’re good at room temperature, but I prefer them cold!
Vegan Scene 
