Grapevine, TX | How to Cook with Dates | Kotsanis Institute

Megan:
Hello, I'm Megan with Kotsanis Institute, back again as promised. Today we're cooking with dates and I'm so excited about this recipe because for any of you who have tried to maintain your healthy lifestyle throughout the holidays, you know that it can kind of be a lonely affair at a holiday party or something, when everybody's crowding around the dessert table and you're hanging out by the obligatory vegetable tray, it's kind of lonely over there.

Megan:
So, I am sharing this recipe that you can take to your holiday parties and enjoy guilt-free because there is no sugar added. So I'll show you what we're working with. You have about a cup and a half of pitted dates, you also have three tablespoons of coconut, I'm using unsweetened here. We also have three tablespoons of cocoa powder and for flavoring, we have the zest of one orange.

Megan:
You're going to start by adding all of these ingredients into a food processor and hit puree. Okay. Now, let's check the consistency of this. You want to look down in here, if you're doing this and it turns really dry, just go ahead and add some water so that you're getting the right consistency. Let's check this, still have a little ways to go.

Megan:
Okay. I think we're good here. So you see it's pureed and it's firm enough to mold into a ball, that's what you want so you can roll it in your toppings. And now the fun part of getting your fingers a little bit dirty. Once you're finished making the puree, you're just going to roll them out into small balls, uniform size. Of course, that makes it pretty a platter. And you have several options of toppers.

Megan:
I have cocoa powder that I'm working with. Also crumbled pistachios and I've also toasted some coconut. You could get creative with some cranberries or if you're sending these for gifts, you could flavor the filling with the core or you just have an infinite number of possibilities with this recipe. And what's fun about this too, is that you can get the kids involved in this step.

Megan:
I think that kids really eat a lot better if you can get them involved in the preparation side of things. So, I'm just going to get the rest of these rolled out and we'll give them a taste. I think you're really going to be pleased with this dessert. It's a great, healthy alternative to the sugar-laden treats that you're going to have all season long.

Megan:
They also make really great gifts and your options are limitless in terms of flavorings and toppings. So join us back here next week. We're going to be talking about another healthy food for you this holiday season and in the meantime, have a great day.