Can we talk about dates? Those little, brown, shriveled, sticky fruits that have a pit harder than granite? You know them?
I lived the better part of my life not knowing anything about these little beauties, and I think it's high time people give them the appropriate attention.
Dates are high in fiber and minerals, taste like sugar, and are unbelievably versatile. Yes, you may have to pit them. Yes, that's a sticky, time-consuming task. But it's totally worth it!
Ready?
Buy some dates. Look for larger ones, because they tend to be a little softer and easier to deal with, plus, you'll have fewer pits for the volume. I think it's worth it to pit the whole bunch of them at once, so you can just grab them when the mood strikes. Pit the dates much in the same way you'd pit an avocado or a peach. Run your knife through the middle, and rotate the fruit around so you can pull one half away from the pit. Pull the pit and toss it, and store your pitted dates in a mason jar so they will last longer.
Or you can pay more and buy them pre-pitted.
That's literally it. You can eat them straight from the jar, or you can fill them with almond butter. You can turn them into syrup. True Food Kitchen adds sliced dates to their Harissa cauliflower. I haven't done it, but I would guess you could dip them in chocolate and let it set to beautiful little candies.
And you can toss them in a blender to make THE YUMMIEST date caramel. I have a jar of this in my fridge currently, and I used it last night as a topping for my chocolate (coconut milk) ice cream, sprinkled with a handful of pistachios.
Guys. Make this immediately!
Easy Vegan Date Caramel
15-18 pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup almond milk
2 drops Madagascar Vanilla essential oil, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
Place all ingredients into high speed blender. Process until mixture is smooth and creamy. Stop and scrape down sides as necessary. Blend until no date chunks are left. If mixture is too thick, add a little more almond milk.
Serve immediately as a dip for apples or bananas, a topping for ice cream, an add-in to oatmeal, or a spread over waffles.
Store leftovers in a glass jar. Will keep in the fridge for a week.
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