Last month, I shared the recipe for my favorite morning beverage made with delicious adaptogens. Adaptogens are plants (roots, mushrooms, berries, and leaves) that enable us to adapt to stressors by strengthening our immune, endocrine, and nervous systems, as well as modulating our response to stress. Unlike pharmaceuticals, adaptogens are generally safe to take daily and have no side effects. Taken regularly, they boost our susceptibility to the effects of stress and our resistance to infection. In addition, they provide a whole host of nutrients. While they can be taken in capsule form, I find most of them to be delicious, so prefer to incorporate them into foods and beverages. You can buy them in powdered form at most natural food stores, and can find them in the supplements area. Here is my favorite recipes for a healthy, sweet treat. Delicious Adaptogen Truffles 1 cup raw almonds (or your nut of choice) 1 cup Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 1 hour ½ cup shredded dried coconut 1 teaspoon maca 1 teaspoon Ashwaganda ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (or ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean powder) ½ teaspoon orange extract
½ teaspoon grated fresh orange peelt
Optional toppings: shredded coconut, cacao powder, hibiscus powder Place all of the ingredients, except for the optional toppings, in a food processor, and pulse until it begins to stick together. Make sure you don’t over process it, since it will get too mushy. There should be some nice chunks of nuts and dates. Roll into 1” balls and chill before serving. For a decorative touch, you can roll the balls in powdered toppings like raw cacao powder, shredded coconut, hibiscus powder, rose powder, etc. Enjoy!
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