Happy Holidays all! Things are getting a bit busy around here, so I'm finding less time to hop on and share some posts or leave comments. However, I couldn't help but make some time today to share a quick post gushing over my new treats. Those who know me well know it doesn't take much to excite me in the culinary sphere, especially when it comes to my favorite fruit--dates!
I'm tickled that @lizelle thinks of me any time she uses them after I probably mentioned them multiple times over for the former #fruitsandveggiesmonday challenge! I've always had a sweet tooth, but after going plant-based many years ago I have tried to tame that as much as possible with nature's own candy. I love pretty much all fruits, especially when I get the chance to try some different ones. I can't recall exactly when I came across dates for the first time, but with my first bite of a creamy, sweet Medjool I was hooked for life. Deglet and Medjools are usually the two types that are most commonly found at stores in my area, so for the longest time those were the only ones that I tried.
A few years ago I remember Dr. Greger of nutritionfacts.org talking about ordering different varieties, and it sent me on a hunt across the interwebs to see what I could find. Lo and behold, there's a whole plethora of dates out there! It should have come as too much of a surprise given that I know no end to apple varieties and have personally shopped from the myriad of not-so-humble tomato seeds available. After perusing oasisdate.com for a while, I settled on my first order of Barhi and Golden Zahidi last year to try.
Wow, was my world rocked with how good those dates were! Barhi became my new favorite with it's luscious texture and notes of caramel. Luckily I had ordered 10 pounds each and they freeze easily, so I only just recently finished off the last of the Barhi and am down to the last of the Zahidi. Since then I also ordered a box when they offered a great deal on some rehydrated Medjools (which will go in my seasonal treat for clients and co-workers that I am making today), and then they had a sale right after Thanksgiving that I couldn't pass up.
The Barhi wasn't back in stock when I first placed the order for these current gems, but has since returned so I have another order on the way. However, after tasting these gorgeous bits of heaven, I might have a 3-way tie for my favorite variety! After looking at the options they currently had harvested, I settled on the nutty Thoory and soft Khaisab since I tend to enjoy the more plump ones over the drier types. My shipping update said they were coming yesterday, so I waited anxiously all day to finally get to try them. Just before I left for work for the evening, they came!
I opened the Khaisab first, and they were just as luscious as they looked online. Small, but nice and soft and full of rich flavor. They are quiet sweet, but not in a cloying way. More so in the satisfying manor that one or two would do just the trick to tame a raging sweet tooth. I imagine they would be excellent in adding natural sweetness to baked goods and other holiday treats, though I often enjoy my dates so much in their natural form I have a hard time wanting to use them in any recipes!
The Thoory I opened up next to see how the touted nutty flavor would present. One of my favorite treats is nut butter spooned into a date, so why not simplify the process and have that flavor infused into the date itself? Oh my goodness, did that surprise me how much I like these. They are a dry variety, so perhaps not quite so luscious but they finish off with a hint of cashew that translates into a very decadent bite overall. I imagine these would add some really interesting flavor to different recipes, but again, that's if any make it past the snacking phase!
I can't wait to share these with my mother to see how she likes them! I've already brought a few to work to share, as I have some clients and colleagues who have also enjoyed trying some of the less common types. In a season full of overly decadent treats and indulgences, dates are a wonderful way to still feel like you are treating yourself while you are actually treating your body with respect and wholesome food. As I've talked about before, dates are full of satiating fiber, natural sugars for energy to support exercise and other activity, B vitamins, minerals like magnesium and manganese, as well as plenty of other plant compounds that promote health in the body. Yes, you can still overdo it, but I'd be willing to bet these rich flavors would be challenging to really eat too many!
Not only are they such a healthy option for natural sweetness, but obviously they bring me much joy just to share with others, both virtually and in person. My favorite gifts to give are often ones of the culinary sort. Good health is too important to keep to myself. Continuing to show others small ways in which they can find joy in whole, plant foods is always going to be a passion. Dates have been a part of food culture for thousands of years, so their consumption is definitely not new, but as with so many aspects of health and wellness, we have lost our way in favor of the latest diet of the month or year. Give me a handful of dates over a Slimfast/Keto/Paleo/Atkins/NameYourDietHere bar or other processed low-fat, low-sugar, high-bullshit diet food any day. ;)
And with that, I retire to the kitchen to make my annual blueberry date bliss balls to show my "people" how much I appreciate them. This year more so than every before...Wishing you all an equally "sweet" day!
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