Stuffed Dates
 
Prep time
Total time
 
I always thought I didn't like dates, but I think that's because I've only had them pureed in something, and I'm not a fan of the mushy date. These, however, were an absolute winner. Everyone at the dinner last night wanted the recipe. Plus, they were so easy to make. I couldn't find pitted dates and I feared it was going to be date carnage all over the kitchen when it came time to de-pit them, but I have to say, it was so easy and took no time at all. Just slice open on one side and remove pit---it's that easy.
Author:
Ingredients
  • 40-45 dates, pitted or not
  • 1 to 1-1/2 C roasted almonds and pecans
  • Zest from one large orange
  • 1 C cashews
  • ½ C water
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
Directions
  1. To make the cashew cream, soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours, or if you're short on time, pour boiling water over them in a bowl and let soak an hour.
  2. Drain them and transfer to a food processor. Puree with the water, then add the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
  3. Transfer to a squeeze bottle. You can also use a pastry bag, but I find that to be messier and more difficult to store leftovers.
  4. If you use dates with a pit, simply take a sharp knife and slice open one side of the date and remove the pit.
  5. Squeeze about ½ a teaspoon of cashew cream inside the date, add an almond or pecan, pipe in a bit more cashew cream, and top with orange zest. Voila! Repeat until you've filled all of the dates.
  6. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe by Epicurean Vegan at http://epicureanvegan.com/2014/12/26/stuffed-dates/