I only have a handful of vivid childhood memories. However, my sister seems to remember everything from the womb to the present day. In one of my memories my sisters and I are in black leotards standing on a chair at our kitchen table making date bars with one of my many favorite aunts. Maybe I cheated on this memory as there is also a photograph from this day. This memory is what I think of when I think of dates. The other day I came across a recipe for strawberry date oat bars in Whole Living magazine and decided to give it a try. You know for old time's sake.
What is a date? Is it the big sister of the raisin, the cousin of a prune, an in-law of the fig? Or just a reason to get dressed up on a Saturday night and wear perfume? Well maybe, but mostly it is a fruit that happens to be high in fiber, calcium and potasium. Dates are sticky and and when ground into a paste you can use them as a natural sweetner for baking. Or you can use them as the star of the recipe. Date night anyone?
Makes 6 servings
1.5 cups pitted dates1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts *
2 tbsp old fashioned rolled oats
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup strawberries thinly sliced
Pulse dates, nuts, oats, and salt in a food processor until combined. The mixture will first turn into a sandy consistency but after a few minutes it will all come together. Press the date mixture onto a cutting board into a square or circle. Put half of your strawberries into the food processor until they look like a jam. Spread the jam onto the top of the date bar and set in the refrigerator for about 30 minues. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars, and add sliced strawberries on top.
*In this recipe I used cashews instead of macadamia nuts and imagine a bit of honey would be a good addition. The bars are the consistency of a really chewy and gooey granola bar and I imagine you could tweak this recipe to make some really creative treats.
