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.
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
Bacon Wrapped Medjool Dates
Ingredients
- 1 lb Medjool dates
- 1 lb bacon (sliced)
- 6 oz nuts (minced (we used cashews, optional))
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Peanut Butter, Banana, and Medjool Date Pitas
Ingredients
- 2 whole-wheat pitas (we got ours from Trader Joe’s)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 8 Medjool dates (pitted and chopped)
- 2 bananas (peeled and sliced)
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Banana, Medjool Date, Vanilla Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 bananas (ripe)
- 1 cup plain yogurt (whole-milk recommended)
- 1/3 cup milk
- 3 Medjool dates (pitted and chopped)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 cubes ice
- handful spinach (or other greens like kale or swiss chard (optional))
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients into a blender and puree together until smooth. Enjoy!
I love the smoothie recipe you can change the banana for any other fruit and it will be delicious
My family and I just made the smoothie, delicious!!!! I used almond milk and added a large handful of organic baby spinach… My kids loved it! Even the husband loved it! This is the first smoothie I have made with spinach that you couldn’t taste the spinach. I like spinach, I don’t like tasting it in smoothies though. The medjool dates are so amazing for sweetness. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
I love bacon wrapped dates. I stuff them with feta or blue cheese, brush with balsamic vinegar and pop them in the oven…. yum yum
Your vegan friends might not delight but the bacon wrapped dates are the pot luck item that will disappear first. Decadent and delicious.
I love dates in my overnight oatmeal. So amazing!
I found your site because I have a dear friend who came here from Iran and she brings me gifts of dates from Montreal and I was looking for ideas to cook with them. We love yogurt smoothies, and I’m excited about using 3 or 4 dates to sweeten them instead of sugar. I break up my very ripe bananas into small chunks and freeze them for smoothies. Using frozen fruit eliminates needing to use ice cubes to cool off the smoothies. Thanks for your recipe ideas!