I love dates.They are sweet, delicious and good for you. In fact, dates are so packed with nutrients and rich with vitamins, that they are used to relief constipation, intestinal disorders and even help prevent abdominal cancer! In the Middle East dates are a common staple and used in a variety of desserts and pastries. One of my favorites is this no-bake date bar. It's a great healthy alternative for when you're craving something sweet that is actually also good for you. It's just date paste mixed with toasted nuts ,then rolled and coated in coconut. You can use whatever nuts you want. walnuts and cashews will be great as well. I like to double up, because it gets eaten pretty quickly!
You can buy the date paste online or at health stores. You can also probably make it yourself, but why bother...?
Ingredients:
1 package pressed baking dates (13oz / 375g)
1/2 cup raw pecans, toasted
1/2 cup raw pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut + more for coating
Preparation:
1. Carefully toast the nuts in a pan or in the oven. Watch so they don't burn.
2. Place the date paste into a microwave safe bowl and nuke for 1-2 minutes to soften the paste.
3. Roughly chop the nuts. You still want large pieces but not whole.
4. Mix the nuts and coconut into the date paste using a large fork. This will require some muscle - as it is very sticky.
5. On a working board, place a sheet of plastic wrap. Spray your hands with nonstick spray, and using your hands, start making a roll from the mix (about 1 inch thick). Place it on the plastic wrap and roll it with your hands so you have one roll. Repeat until all the date mix is rolled up. Place the rolls in the freezer for at east 30 minutes.
6. Sprinkle coconut in a wide Tupperware plate. Cut the rolls to 2 or 3 pieces and roll them in the coconut. Use your hands to press the coconut to the date roll so its well coated on all sides.
7. With a sharp knife, slice the roll into individual slices. Store in the fridge in the same Tupperware dish with the coconut.
