Dates are a whole-food, all-natural sweetener with rich concentrated flavour. This week I’m going to help you incorporate it into your dishes by showing you how to make a delicious date paste! When soaked and pureed they taste just like brown sugar or maple syrup, doesn’t that sound yummy?
When I was a little girl, I ate my morning porridge smothered in a thick layer of brown sugar topped with whole milk- YIKES! No wonder I had mood and energy spikes. I want Carrington to experience the sweet comfort of that dish but without the added refined sugars, fats and dairy. Date paste is a staple in our diets. From sweet to savoury, I use it on top of grains, in sauces, dressings anywhere you want extra sweetness from a less refined product.
Dates not only taste delicious and sweet, they full of nutrition. Dates have vitamin, B6, iron, magnesium, fibre, potassium and polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds that can protect the body from inflammation. Dates contain more polyphenols than most other fruits and vegetables.
Just ¼ of a cup of dates provides 12% of a person’s daily fibre requirement. Fibre helps flush the system and keeps you feeling fuller for longer.
Dates are high in potassium which is an electrolyte the body needs for optimum heart health. Potassium also helps to build muscle and proteins in the body.
PrintHow To Make A Date Paste
Dates are a whole-food, all-natural sweetener with rich concentrated flavour.
Ingredients
1 cup of dates (pitted)
• 2 cup water (or as needed)
• 1 vanilla bean, optional
Instructions
- If necessary, pit the dates. You can also purchase dates pre-pitted.
- Place the dates a small bowl and cover with the water.
- Soak for 1-2 hours or until the fruit is quite soft. To speed up this process use hot water instead.
- Transfer to a high-speed blender and process until smooth.
- Add water as needed to create a paste consistency.
- If using the paste in baked recipes, use as little water as possible. If the paste is runny, it will add additional moisture to the recipe and impact negatively on the finished product.
- This mixture will keep for over a week, covered and refrigerated. Alternatively, it can be frozen for several months.
Notes
Cooking Tip: For a different flavour note, add a pinch of ground spice, such as cinnamon or nutmeg, or sea salt along with a bit of fresh lemon juice.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may want to make my Blueberry Chia Seed Jam or Pumpkin Seed Butter.
Visit my page on How To’s for more easy steps to making my favourite vegan recipes.
