in other words
april21
An Unusual Culinary Column: Date Discovery
By Karen Kain
This month I am inspired to
share with you a few of my latest date
discoveries. Dates are not only a healthy
alternative sweetener to sugar; they are
also a super food and therefore, very good
for you. There are health specialists that
suggest eating one date a day is necessary
for a balanced and healthy diet. Dates
are known to prevent abdominal cancer;
maintain healthy weight; promote
healthy bowel movements; boost energy;
strengthen bones; boost the nervous
system; increase sexual stamina; provide
energy for anemic patients; reduce the
risk of stroke; diminish allergic reactions
and finally, dates help to lower night
blindness.
First, I wanted to revisit the
“date shake” for the simple fact that I
love date shakes. This is a filling and
delicious snack. I started making it with
just avocado, almond milk, ice and 6-8
dates and loved it. You can make your
own version adding bananas, vanilla
extract and chocolate nibs. I am going to
stick with the simple version because it
is just perfect!
Next I tried making horchata.
I love horchata and after seeing the
ingredients I realized just why it is so
filling. This recipe replaces the sugar
with dates, which makes it healthier; it
is easy to make this refreshing drink and
is best served over ice, sprinkled with
cinnamon.
I also wanted to try some
healthier dessert recipes. Keeping
with the date theme, I came across
this Strawberry Cheesecake recipe.
Marie Krahn
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It was super easy to make and I knew
immediately that this was a delicious
healthy dessert that will keep at bay
those sugar cravings. I especially loved
the crust and look forward to playing
with more recipes along this line.
I am very happy to have the
sun shining and excited about getting
my hands into the ground to grow some
healthy foods. As always, I would love
to hear what you are cooking. Have a
great month!
Date & Avocado Shake
Christie’s Homemade Horchata
Ingredients:
• 1 Cup uncooked rice
• 5 Cups water
• 2 Tablespoons of date paste,
(pitted dates)
• 2 Tablespoon of water
• ½ Tablespoon of cinnamon
Directions:
Put 1 cup of rice into the blender and 5
cups of water and blend until the rice is
broken up. Let stand at room temperature
for a minimum of 3 hours. Strain the rice
using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth. Put
the date paste and 2 tablespoons of water
in a small sauce pan and cook down
making a syrup. Place the rice milk, date
syrup, cinnamon in a blender and blend
until combined and serve on crushed ice
sprinkled with cinnamon.
Strawberry Cheesecake
Ingredients:
• 1 Cup almond milk
• 5 Ice cubes
• ½ to 1 Whole avocado
• 6-8 Dates
Directions:
Place all the ingredients into a blender
and blend until smooth and creamy.
Ingredients:
Crust:
• 1½ Cups desiccated (finely shredded)
coconut *
• ½ Cup raw cashews
• 8 Dates
• Zest of one lemon
Top:
• 1 Cup of raw cashews
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 Heaping tablespoon honey
• 1 Cup strawberries, hulled
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
2016
9
Directions:
Place 1 cup of raw cashews into a bowl
of water, fully covering the nuts and let
them soak until you are ready to use them
for the topping. Put the crust ingredients
into a food processor and blend at high
speed until the mixture is sticky and
crumbly. Using a square 20cm cake pan
lined with parchment paper overhanging
the sides, press the crust into the cake
pan. I used a small rolling pin (made out
of a tumbler glass) and firmly press the
crust down.
For the topping – Strain the cashews and
add the lemon juice, honey, strawberries,
coconut oil, salt, and vanilla extract into
a food processor and blend until the
mixture is smooth. Pour the topping over
the crust, cover and allow to set in the
freezer for at least 3 hours.
Side notes - You can double the topping
and use an 18cm spring form pan
eliminating the parchment paper, if you
prefer to make a cake.
*Desiccated coconut is coconut meat
that has been dried and has much less
moisture than the initial fruit. I used
Trader Joe’s unsweetened shredded
coconut.
Karen Kain can be contacted at karen8@
icloud.com.
Vernonia’s Voice is
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3rd Thursday. Look for
our next issue May 5.
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