Coconut-Apricot Chews

As I write this, I am sitting outside on my 17th floor balcony having breakfast. It is 8am on a Saturday morning in Toronto. Already it is 21 degrees outside. The high for later today?Thirty. I can already feel the warm humidity hugging my shoulders. I love it. No scratch that; I ADORE it.

The hot, hot heat is exactly what my body craves. This, a fact I found to be true the very first time I stepped off a plane in Costa Rica. The wall of thick, stickycalidity that greeted me on that tarmac served as welcome to both body and soul, and for the first time in my life, I felt at home somewhere outside of my homeland. I belonged there, and at that moment I made the declaration to myself that I would one day be a resident of CR, if only for a few months of the year.

Here in Canada I am cold all the time.My hands, my feet, my ears.It could be a case of poor circulation they say, but I like to think that I was a gal of the tropics in another life. I love the feeling of the scorching hot sun on my face, sweat beading down my back, the sultry air that encompasses a late summer setting sun. I desire the Pura Vida,asI know it is in my bones to live that way. And this coming week, my wellness company and all the hard work I have put into it, has me knocking on the door of opportunity as I take part in a meeting that may just be my ticket to a life lived on the Pacific Ocean coast. And if all goes well, a more permanent affair with Central America may not be that far off after all...And to that I say, bring it. Bring on the “pure life."

And now, in true easy-breezy Costa Ricanstyle, I present a delightfully simple treat, a true taste of the tropics, my coconut-apricot chews:

Coconut-Apricot Chews

Ingredients  

1 C raw almonds
1 C dried apricots
½ C shredded unsweetened coconut
1 T coconut oil
¼ C raw unsalted sunflower seeds
¼ C agave syrup

Directions 

1. In food processor, process almonds until they form a gritty flour.
2. To processor, add the apricots and process on low until fruit is broken down and well combined with the almond meal.
3. Add all remaining ingredients and process until mixture forms a dough-like texture (it will begin to stick together in large hunks).
4. Remove bowl from processor and form dough into bite-sized balls (TIP: if you refrigerate the mix for 5-10 minutes it will be less likely to stick to your hands when rolling!)
5. Try one. Fall in love. Freeze or refrigerate remaining balls for keeping.