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: Epicurean Vegan
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
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.
Drain them and transfer to a food processor. Puree with the water, then add the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
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.
If you use dates with a pit, simply take a sharp knife and slice open one side of the date and remove the pit.
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.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe by Epicurean Vegan at http://epicureanvegan.com/2014/12/26/stuffed-dates/