Category: dates

Carob Chip Cookies

I think this is the third recipe I’ve put up on the blog for carob (or chocolate) chip cookies. This one is very easy to make and tastes great. I cooked mine for 15 minutes and they were caky, so stick to 10-12 minutes for a chewy cookie. It should make 18-20 cookies so if you have dough left over, increase the size of each cookie. If smaller cookies are wanted, bake them for only 7-10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet (to hold all the cookies at once).

In a small bowl, soak 8-10 medjool dates or 1 cup of diced dates in 1 cup boiling water for 10-15 minutes (this is the longest part of the process!)

Pour the dates and the water into a food processor (I actually used my Vitamix) and process for 1-2 minutes until the dates are pureed. Scrape back into the small bowl. Whisk in to the dates:

1/2 cup avocado or melted coconut oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

In a medium bowl combine:

2 cups brown rice flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour the date mixture into the flour mixture along with 1/2 cup unsweetened carob or chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Take 2 tablespoon to 1/4 cup of the dough and shape by hand into a ball, then flatten, and put them on the greased cookie sheet. Don’t worry about putting them close on the cookie sheet because they won’t spread much although they will puff up slightly when baked.

Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container.

Curried Vegetable Pie (dairy free, gluten free, soy free, vegan)

I LOVE curry! It’s one of my very favorite dishes so when I saw a recipe in the Trader Joe Fearless Flyer for Spicy Pumpkin Curry Pot Pie, I had to adapt it. Since I didn’t put any pumpkin in my pie, I’ve renamed the recipe to fit the actual ingredients. Since it contains beans, you could serve it as a side dish or an entree.

Like many of my recipes, this one can be adapted to suit your family’s tastes. For example, I used butternut squash but any winter squash, including pumpkin, could be substituted. Also, I love white kidney beans so I used those but feel free to substitute another bean, such as garbanzo; instead of parsnips, you could use carrots, and instead of the chopped dates, feel free to use dried cranberries, raisins, currents, etc. Whatever your choices, remember that curry loves sweet foods!

You’ll need for the vegetables:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion (I used sweet onions)

2 medium parsnips, cut into medium sized pieces

1 cup butternut squash, cut into medium sized pieces

1 bunch rainbow chard cut into shreds (feel free to use any chard or kale)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

16 oz can of beans, drained

1/3 cup chopped dates (or other dried fruit)

For the sauce, you’ll need:

1/4 cup avocado oil

1/4 cup gluten free flour mix

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 cup non-dairy milk

1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon curry paste (depending on your taste)

And for the pie, you’ll need:

1 9″ pie gluten-free pie crust (I use Wholly Gluten Free even though it has a small amount of sugar in it but feel free to use whatever pie crust your family likes, just remember, don’t put a cold pie crust on top of hot mixture or hot mixture into a cold uncooked pie crust) (or see my recipe for gluten-free pie crust)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, add the 3 tablespoons of oil, heat then saute the onion and parsnips (or carrots) for about 5 minutes. Add the squash, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Add the chard, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook for about 5 more minutes or until vegetables are softened but still hold together. Remove from heat.

To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in the bottom of a saucepan and add the curry powder (remember not to burn the curry, just toast it so have your heat on medium). Add the flour and whisk in; it should absorb all the oil. Let simmer on low for several minutes to cook the flour. Add the non-dairy milk (any milk except soy which will not thicken); coconut milk would be wonderful if you can eat coconut. Whisk constantly until thickened; if too thick (should be the consistency of watery mash potatoes), add a little more milk. Once completed, pour over the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Grease a 9″ round casserole dish and then add the vegetable mixture.

If you are using a frozen pie crust, prebake per directions. Many frozen crusts will not come out of the pan until pre-baked (like the Wholly Gluten Free crust I use). That works well since then we’re putting a hot crust on hot mixture. Once pre-baked, flip it on top of the vegetable mixture. Bake in the oven until crust is done and mixture is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serves 6-8.

HINT: If you’d like to add some crunch to this dish, add some seeds, I used pumpkin.

Carob Buttercream Frosting (dairy-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, egg-free, vegan)

One of the most difficult parts of making a cake or cookies that need frosting is making a frosting without confectioners sugar.  Here’s the perfect answer!  So smooth and creamy as well as delicious.  You can, of course, substitute chocolate if desired.

In a medium sized bowl mix:

  • 1/2 cup sweet potato puree (I used canned)
  • 1/2 cup date sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup, agave or coconut nectar, OR 1/2 teaspoon stevia powder OR 1/4 teaspoon monk fruit powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup carob powder OR cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup tahini or, if you can use it, nut or seed butter
  • 2 tablespoons shortening such as Spectrum OR solid coconut oil OR vegan margarine or butter

Using a hand mixer, blend until smooth and well blended.

Chickpea Brownies (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, sugar-free)

These are probably the best brownies I’ve ever eaten.  Fudge brownies are good but difficult to master when you’re making gluten-free and egg-free brownies.  These are always moist, unless you really overcook them, as well as rich and oh so decadent while they are still so good for you!  Unbelievably good.  Instead of using a baking pan, I put some parchment paper on a cookie sheet, spray it with my olive oil spray and spread the batter on it.  It makes a thinner brownie that bakes faster and I’m less likely to overcook it.

In your food process add:

  • 1 drained 12 ounce can of garbanzo beans
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup tahini (or you can use any nut butter if you can have nuts)
  • 1/2 cup protein powder
  • 8-12 pitted dates OR 1 teaspoon monk fruit powder OR 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup carob powder (or cocoa if you can have it)
  • 1 cup of cold water, after adding 3/4 cup, add a little at a time (1 tablespoon) until you have a smooth, mashed potato like consistency — if you use the honey, you’ll have to use less water

Process until smooth and then process for a couple more minutes.  I’ve found that even when I think all the garbanzo beans are processed, there are still some larger pieces in the mix; and if the garbanzo beans are reduced, the dates may still have some large pieces.  So keep processing it even when you think its done for at least 2 more minutes.  During these last couple of minutes add:

  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 2 tablespoons hemp hulls
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax

Spread your batter in your prepared pan; either cookie sheet or large 9×12″ baking dish.  I like to sprinkle carob chips on top but that’s optional.  Bake 20-25 minutes if you’re using a cookie sheet and 35-40 minutes for a baking dish.  Cool before cutting.

Tahini Cheesecake with Chewy Brownie Crust

What a wonderful combination!  Who can resist a rich, decadent, chewy fudge brownie topped with a nutty creamy cheesecake.  This is not one of my quick, easy desserts; it takes some doing but not a great deal of skill, other than folding the brownie dry ingredients into the meringue.  Well worth the trouble.

First make the brownies.  Heat oven to 350 degrees; grease 8×8″ pan.  In a medium size bowl, combine:

  • 1/2 cup aquafaba (bean water)*
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Whip the aquafaba and cream of tartar to stiff peaks and then continue whipping for several more minutes.  Slowly beat in the monk fruit powder and then the date sugar and continue beating for 2-3 more minutes.

  • 3/4 teaspoon monk fruit powder
  • 1/3 cup date sugar

Sift:

  • 3/4 cup carob powder (or cocoa if you can use it)
  • 1/2 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • dash of salt

Pour into the meringue.  Add on top of the dry ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 3 tablespoons hemp milk (or soy or rice milk) [If you use almond butter in the cheesecake, you could use almond milk here]
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using a folding mix technique (using a spatula, bring the meringue from the bottom middle out to the edge in a sweeping motion; turn the bowl 1/4 of the bowl and repeat until the mixture is well mixed) mix the dry and wet ingredients into the meringue.  It will deflate somewhat.  Pour into the baking dish and spread out in an even layer.  Bake 12-15 minutes, remove from oven and top with the cheesecake mixture.

For the cheesecake mixture, combine in your food processor:

  • 12 ounces non-dairy cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup tahini (or nut butter if you can have one)
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar (or 1 teaspoon monk fruit powder, or 1/2 cup date sugar)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

Blend until smooth.  Pour over brownie in an even layer.  Return to oven and bake an additional 25-40 minutes depending on your oven.  If you have some sugar free chocolate or carob chips, you can sprinkle them on top of the cheesecake mixture before baking.  Turn off oven and open door and let cool for a half hour before removing from the oven.  Cool on draft-free counter for an hour before placing in the refrigerator.  This will keep the cheesecake layer from splitting.  Serve ice-cold, if you can keep your family from eating them sooner!

*Aquafaba is the liquid you drain from a can of beans and usually discard.  It is a great substitute for eggs.  Usually used is garbanzo bean liquid.

Figgy Hemp Cream (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, vegan)

When I lived in western Massachusetts and had to go to the Albany, New York area to give a lecture or do an NPR program, I would always stop at the local co-op and get a pint of goat’s milk black mountain fig ice cream.  So good, creamy, figgy, and not too sweet.  This recipe comes very close to that goodness.  And it is very adaptable; feel free to use the type of fruit you like the best in place of the figs, peaches, applesauce, bananas would all work great.

Add to a blender:

  • 1 medium to large ripe avocado
  • 1/4 cup chopped dates
  • 2 cups fresh or stewed figs
  • 1 cup hemp milk
  • 2 scoops protein powder

Blend until well mixed and the dates are incorporated.  Pour into an ice cream freezer or put in individual serving containers, or ice cube trays to freeze.

TIP:  Don’t care for avocado?  Use avocado oil instead, it has little flavor but makes a very creamy dessert.  Use 1/4 cup of oil in place of the avocado pulp.

Carob Mint Hemp Milk (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, vegan)

One of the things I’ve missed the most over the years is ice cream.  I take a water aerobics class at the Y and when we do the “stir the pot” exercise, the instructor always asks people what their favorite flavor of ice cream is and she stopped asking me the third time I said I was allergic to dairy.  But now I have an answer be it the Carob Avocado cream from a couple of weeks ago, or this new one I just made.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

In your blender, blend:

  • 1 ripe avocado, this provides the fat so that you don’t end up with an “icy” cream
  • 1/4 cup chopped dates
  • 1 cup pear or apple sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of carob OR leave this out and add chips when the cream is frozen, OR if you can, you could add cocoa or melted semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 large scoops protein powder
  • 2 cups hemp milk*
  • 1/2 teaspoon mint oil or extract

*I used hemp but coconut or soy milk would work just as well.  Rice milk doesn’t freeze well as it tends to make an icy mixture rather than a cream.

Blend until smooth.  Pour into your ice cream freezer or into ice cube trays to freeze.

TIP:  If the avocado gives too much of a flavor or you don’t care for avocado, add some avocado oil to the blender.  The oil has very little taste and will give you a creamy texture.

Turkey Bacon wrapped Dates with Sausage (dairy-free, gluten-free)

This is a very quick, delicious appetizer.  These take minutes to make and after you either broil them in the oven, or air fry, the dates get slightly gooey and just envelope the sausage.  The bacon gets crispy which adds the crunch needed to make this the perfect appetizer.  And its very easy to increase or decrease to fit your needs.

You’ll need:

  • 10 medjool dates, pitted
  • 5 slices of turkey bacon, cut in half (or any pork bacon)
  • 1 turkey Italian sausage (or any kind of sausage you like but it should be a little spicy), cooked and cut lengthwise into 5 pieces and then each piece cut in half to fit into the dates.  If you want more sausage in your dates, simply cook a second sausage and cut in bigger pieces.  I cut mine to fit snuggly into the date.
  • 10 toothpicks soaked in water

Slice open each date (remove seed if not pitted).  Insert a piece of the sausage and then wrap with the bacon.  Insert a toothpick so that it holds the ends of the bacon together.  Place each on a greased cookie sheet if you are going to broil them, or onto your air fry tray with the outside edge of the bacon facing downward.  Broil or air fry for 5-7 minutes then turn over and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Chocolate Figgy Hemp Cream (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, sugar-free, vegan)

This is a very easy recipe to make if you have a blender or Vitamix.  And it turns out not only delicious but silky smooth and creamy.  Also, its adaptable to several other types of desserts — chocolate cream pie, fudgesicles (if you have a mold or even ice cube tray with wooden sticks), or pudding.

Put in your blender:

  • 1 ripe avocado (or 1/4 cup avocado oil – the oil has less avocado flavor so doesn’t add any taste to the dessert)
  • 1 cup of mashed figs*
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates (or 4 whole medjool dates)**
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder or carob powder
  • 2 large scoops of protein powder
  • 2 cups hemp milk***
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Blend until smooth.  At this point, you can divide the mixture into pudding cups, fill ice cube trays, or place it in an ice cream freezer.  If you make ice cream with it, I suggest that when its ready, put the ice cream into small containers since if you freeze it in a larger container, like I did, you’ll have a very solid block of hemp cream that needs to be thawed before you can use it.  If you’re making a chocolate cream pie, pre-bake a ready made gluten-free crust and cool it before you add the pudding to the pie crust.

*You could also use 4 ripe figs, or 1 cup of stewed prunes.

**Whole Foods carries chopped dates with oat flour.

*** Coconut milk or soy milk will also work in this recipe.