Maybe I used to be living under a rock, but before our switch to “real food” I had never before
purchased or cooked with dates. And I am just being honest here, but it’s possible I didn’t even know what dates were. Believe it or not Medjool dates are one of the oldest cultivated fruits in the world, which means they are also a whole food, of course. 
And even here in North Carolina you can easily find fresh Natural Delights Medjool dates at several local grocery stores including Harris Teeter, some Lowe’s locations and soon Earth Fare as well.
The great thing about Medjool dates is that they are so sweet so they can basically act as a sweetener in recipes. And when you are avoiding refined sugar you start to get creative when it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth. A few weeks after starting our “100 Days of Real Food” pledge a reader actually suggested a “chocolate torte/truffle” recipe to me (pictured) using Medjool dates, and looking back I honestly don’t think I would have survived our pledge without them!
Chocolate Truffles Sweetened with Dates from 100 Days of Real Food
So today, I’d like to share three more recipes using Medjool dates in case you are new to this versatile sweet fruit as well. I do want to caution you though that even though the date seeds look like little pecans they are hard as a rock (pictured), so whatever you do be extra careful to remove the seeds first!
Medjool Date Seeds
- 1 lb Medjool dates
- 1 lb sliced organic or locally raised bacon
- 6 oz minced nuts (optional), we used cashews
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Split one side of Medjool date lengthwise and remove pit.
- Stuff with one teaspoon minced nuts. (Optional)
- Wrap entire bacon strip around date and secure with toothpick. To prevent toothpicks from burning soak them in water for a few minutes first.
- Place under oven broiler.
- Turn once to ensure even cooking and drain well (about 3 minutes per side worked well in our oven). Serve warm / immediately.
- 2 100% whole-wheat pita breads (we got ours from Trader Joe’s)
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 8 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 2 Bananas, peeled and sliced
- Cut each pita bread in half, crosswise, to form four pita pockets.
- Gently open each pita pocket and spread 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to each of the interior sides.
- Top the peanut butter with the chopped dates, which have been evenly divided.
- Add the banana slices to each pita sandwich and then gently press the sides together to reform pita pockets.
- Eat immediately or grill on a panini grill for something extra special!
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 cup plain yogurt, whole-milk recommended
- ⅓ cup milk
- 3 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 – 4 ice cubes
- Optional: Handful of greens like spinach, kale or swiss chard
- Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree together until smooth. Enjoy!
This post has been brought to you by Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates. They are part of the Mediterranean Foods Alliance, which helps consumers discover the health benefits of Mediterranean foods. Tomorrow kicks off Mediterranean Diet Month so be sure to check out the details.
I just discovered dates as well. I love throwing them in a smoothies and my larabars. I am going to try putting them in his sandwiches, brilliant!
I make a similar smoothie for my son and put the leftover in the ice pops you recommended on this site. I think I am going to add kale next time like you do. http://www.littlemonsterbaby.com/2012/04/banana-nut-smoothie-and-ice-pop.html
I buy my dates at Costco. I don’t think they are medjool but I can’t think of what kind they are. They are very moist despite being pitted. I bought them when I got tired of having to pit the medjool ones I bought and don’t regret it!
Love all the recipes – can’t wait to try – but before I wonder around HT like a crazy woman – where might I find these dates?
PS I’ve been reading your blog from Waxhaw and just figured out you were from Matthews
– small world!
It is a small world! And I usually go to Earth Fare myself…their dates are near the produce so check there first and secondly near the raisins. Good luck!
I make my own ‘Lara bars’ with dates and cashews. delicious and only 2 ingredients! that’s a win-win right there
I am so with you about dates! When we switched over to whole foods from processed I saw a lot of recipes using them & asked a farmer at our local market if I could try one. I never had before because quite frankly I thought they looked gross. lol But man are they sweet! I’ve switched out processed carmel dip for apples for date paste…the kiddo noticed a color & texture difference but prefers the paste.
Went to Harris Teeter and Lowes today to look for them, but could only find the Regulat Sun Maid variety. Are they not with the regular dried fruits?
They are usually in the produce section at HT.
They are in the produce section since they are fresh (not dried).
[...] How to feed your family for 100 days with no processed foods. It is not easy. [...]
I really like dates and use them as sweeteners in smoothies. I printed off your recipes and cannot wait to use them.
I never even thought about dates before this post. I read this, then last night I went to Fresh Market and they had Pecan Date Rolls from the The Jewel Date Co. They are DELICIOUS! My husband didn’t like them so I guess I get them all to myself! And only two ingredients, dates and pecans!
Thanks for the recipes. I am lucky enough to have a date palm growing in my garden. I have thousands of dates so I was looking for ways to use them. Fresh dates off the palm are completely different to the dates you buy in the shops. Shop bought ones are much harder and chewier. The fresh dates are really soft and sweet. I was never a fan of them when I was a child but I’m a big fan now!
If you have thousands are you interested in getting rid of some? I live in small town and don’t have access locally to fresh ones. I’d love to try them. How much would you charge for a pound or so to be shipped to Georgia??
[...] that can act as a sweetener in recipes) check out my post a couple months ago that also includes three other date recipes. Today’s post is brought to you by Bard Valley Natural Delights Medjool Dates, which aims to [...]
I just tried dates for the first time. (I planned to make the Lara bars but our family ate most of my cashews first). Anyway, I ate a date with a few raw cashews and it immediately made me think of pecan pie! Has anyone used them as a sub for the refined sugars to make a pecan pie-like dessert?
I use them as a sweetener in pumpkin pie. My very picky 9 year old loves it! I purée in my food processor and add to the other ingredients instead of any sugar. I have not tried in a pecan pie but think it would be delish!
I have discovered Natural Delights Medjool Dates recenlty. I remove the pit and put a natural (oil separated on top) crunchy peanut butter inside, close them again. OMGosh this is an awesome dessert. I usually eat one, and sometimes eat two. I have also used dates in smoothies. They have a lot of fiber and are so good for you. Much better snack or dessert than something made from refined sugar. Great for traveling, too, although good dates may be a bit sticky, better to eat at a rest stop with an apple.
I love medjool dates! I use them all of the time as a sweetener. My son has a milk allergy so I make hemp milk and sweeten it with a couple of medjool dates. I also chop one up and put it in our morning oatmeal, tastes just like I added a sweetener. I cannot wait to try the bacon wrapped dates, they look yummy!!!
Hi, loving your recipes! Another suggestion for the dates is to put a chunk of pineapple inside the date and then wrap in bacon and broil-delicious!!!!
I wanted something a little different for my morning smoothie and decided to give this a go. It’s delicious! I think I’ll turn this into ice cream for my kids later this week. I’m going to put this one in my recipe box (I do fruit/veggie smoothies each morning and don’t want to get stuck in a rut so I have a huge – and growing – list of recipes). Next time, I think I’ll add a spoon of almond butter and see how that tastes.
Hi! Love all the date recipes, since I love dates!! My question though, is, do you have to buy Medjool dates or can you use any pitted dates? Seems like I can find other dates less expensive….
Hi Terri. You can use other dates. ~Amy