Tag Archives: date recipes

Unbaked Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

If you are looking for a healthy yet delicious dessert try this easy to prepare version of unbaked brownies. It’s made with ground dates, walnuts and cocoa powder topped with the best chocolate frosting made with cocoa powder and sweetened with maple syrup.  This is almost a cross between a brownie and fudge. The best part is that the dessert is flourless  in addition to being low in cholesterol and sodium. I like to cut up into little bite size pieces. Enjoy without the guilt!

From by the bay, wishing you guilt free food memories!

Maryann

Unbaked Brownies with Chocolate Frosting

as featured in Health Magazine by Katie Higgins

  • Prep Time:
  • Cook Time:
  • Total Time:
  • Yield: 16 brownies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups cups loosely packed pitted dates
  • 1 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted coconut oil

Directions

1. Combine dates, walnuts, 6 Tbsp. cacao powder, 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 2 tsp. water and salt in a food processor. Process until completely smooth.

2. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish, or line dish with parchment or waxed paper. Transfer dough to dish. Press dough very firmly into dish with your hands until dough is evenly distributed.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup cacao powder, remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla, maple syrup and oil. Stir until mixture forms a paste (this is the frosting). Spread paste evenly over dough in baking dish. Refrigerate brownies for at least 2 hours to set, then cut into squares. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 2 months.

 

New Year’s Eve Easy Party Snacks

Here’s a couple of my favorite party recipes , easy to use for New Year’s Eve or any party!

From my the bay wishing you Happy New Year’s Eve memories!

Maryann

blog olives 1

Marinated Olives with Orange and Cranberries

Ingredients

1/2 pound green pitted olives, such as manzanilla
1 shallot, minced
1/4 fresh orange cut into 1 inch pieces, with rind
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
Directions

Bring 1 cup water to boil in small sauce pan. Remove from heat and add cranberries. Let sit 15 minutes and drain and cool in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

blog bacon date

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Provolone
24 pieces

Ingredients
24 pitted Medjool dates
12 slices bacon
2 ounces provolone cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the bacon slices in half with a scissor. Cut the provolone cheese into 24 small sticks approximately 1” x 1 ¼”. Place cheese into the date. Wrap date with a ½ slice of bacon and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and turn the dates over and bake for 15 more minutes until the bacon is crispy. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Variations
You can make these with other sharp cheeses such as Manchego, Parmesan or Soft Gorgonzola.

blog pickle grapes

Pickled Grapes with Rosemary and Chiles

Ingredients

6 cups stemmed mixed red and green seedless grapes (about 2 pounds)
2 cups distilled white vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
Leaves from 1 four-inch sprig rosemary
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chile flakes

Directions

Pack the grapes into 3 pint-size glass containers with lids. Pour the vinegar and 1 cup water into a saucepan, set it over medium-high heat, and add the salt, sugar, garlic, rosemary, and chile flakes. When the mixture starts to simmer, remove the pan from the heat and divide the hot brine among the pints of grapes. Cover loosely and let cool to room temperature. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before serving. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Reprinted from The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home Flavor by Matt and Ted Lee. Copyright © 2009 Published by Clarkson Potter

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Yield: Makes 1 1/2 quarts

blog curry cashews

Curried Cashews
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups raw whole cashews
Additional coarse sea salt to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Heat olive oil in pan add curry powder, salt, cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant – approximately 1 min.
Add cashews and coat nuts for one to two minutes. Remove from heat and place on baking sheet in one layer. Bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven, sprinkle with additional sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

blog shrimp cocktail

Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce

Ingredients
3/4 cup organic low sodium ketchup
3 tablespoons grated horseradish
1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon vodka, optional

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill until ready to use. Serve with shrimp, crab or lobster.

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Provolone

Well, we are well into the holidays season and still a few parties to go from now until New Year’s.  I thought I would share my all time favorite crowd pleasing appetizer recipe . Variations of this recipe abound but if you have never tried it , you definitely should. It’s easy to make and assemble in advance for a party, which is a plus in book for any party recipe.

From by the bay wishing you happy holiday food memories!

Maryann

blog bacon date

Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Provolone

24 pieces


Ingredients

24 pitted Medjool dates

12 slices bacon

2 ounces provolone cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the bacon slices in half with a scissor. Cut the provolone cheese into 24 small sticks approximately 1” x 1 ¼”. Place cheese into the date. Wrap date with a ½ slice of bacon and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes and turn the dates over and bake for 15 more minutes until the bacon is crispy. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Variations

You can make these with other sharp cheeses such as Manchego, Parmesan or Soft Gorgonzola.

 

Date, Artichoke and Jalapeno Pizza

blog jalapeno pizza
It’s the time of year to start moving activities outdoors. Setting up my outdoor space reminds of the wonderful time I spent in Napa Valley. So naturally, I decided to relive my wonderful memories of the wine country by making a pizza with some favorite Napa ingredients: baby artichokes, dates and jalapeno peppers. The result is this zesty pizza , which balances both sweet and salty with a touch of heat. The artichokes definitely add to the taste of Spring. I’ve also added the recipe for Nancy Silverton’s pizza dough from “The Mozza Cookbook”.  She worked on a recipe that works for home ovens and I find this is the recipe I use over and over again with great results. It was developed with bread baking technique’s developing a sponge to ferment before adding the remaining ingredients. The result is a delicious crispy crust.From by the bay wishing you zesty pizza food memories!
Maryann
Date, Artichoke and Jalapeno Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 portion pizza dough
4 medjool dates
4 artichoke hearts, canned in water or freshly steamed
1 jalapeno
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces asiago cheese, in thin slices
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 portion fresh pizza dough
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spray pizza pan with olive oil. Prepare toppings. Heat oil and saute onions until they start to caramelize. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice jalapeno into thin rounds about 1/8 inch thick. Cut each artichoke in half. Pull dates apart into 3 pieces. Roll out pizza dough into a 17” round to fit pizza pan and transfer dough to pan. Layer pizza with asiago cheese, onions, artichokes, dates and jalapeno rounds. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Let rest 20 minutes. Place pizza in oven and make pizza on center rack until the crust is crisp and brown on bottom and the cheese is melted on top, about 10 minutes. Cut pizza into 8 slices.
Nancy Silverton’s Pizza Dough Recipe 
 
Makes enough dough for 6 pizzas; each pizza serves 1 or for 2 large pizzas
 
Ingredients
22 ounces warm tap water (2 cups, 6 ounces)
1⁄2 ounce (1 Tbsp) compressed yeast or 1 tsp active dry yeast
26 ounces unbleached bread flour, plus more as needed
1⁄2 ounce (1 Tbsp) dark rye flour or medium rye flour
1 1⁄2 tsp wheat germ
1 1⁄2 tsp barley malt or mild-flavored honey, such as clover or wildflower
1⁄2 ounce (1 Tbsp) kosher salt
Olive oil, grapeseed oil, or another neutral flavored oil, such as canola oil, for greasing the bowl
Directions
To make the sponge, put 15 ounces of the water and the yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and let it sit for a few minutes to dissolve the yeast. Add 13 ounces of the bread flour, the rye flour, and the wheat germ. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients. Wrap the bowl tightly in plastic wrap and tightly wrap the perimeter of the bowl with kitchen twine or another piece of plastic wrap to further seal the bowl. Set the dough aside at room temperature (ideally 68 to 70 degrees) for 1 1⁄2 hours.
Uncover the bowl and add the remaining 7 ounces of water, the remaining 13 ounces of bread flour, and the barley malt. Fit the mixer with a dough hook, place the bowl on the mixer stand, and mix the dough on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the salt and mix on medium speed for 6 to 8 minutes, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Note that the dough will not pull so much that it completely cleans the bowl, but if the dough is too sticky and is not pulling away from the sides at all, throw a small handful of flour into the bowl to make it less sticky. While the dough is mixing, lightly grease with olive oil a bowl large enough to hold the dough when it doubles in size. Turn the dough out of the mixer into the oiled bowl. Wrap the bowl as before. Set the dough aside at room temperature for 45 minutes. Dust your work surface lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Acting as if the round has four sides, fold the edges of the dough toward the center. Turn the dough over and return it, folded side down, to the bowl. Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and set it aside for 45 minutes.
Dust your work surface again lightly with flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Divide the dough into six equal segments, each weighing approximately 7 ounces. Gently tuck the edges of each round of dough under itself. Cover the dough rounds with a clean dishtowel and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Lightly flour your hands and use both hands to gather each round of dough into a taut ball. Dust a baking sheet generously with flour and place the dough rounds on the baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with the dishtowel and set them again at room temperature for 1 hour to proof the dough. (Or leave the dough on the counter to proof instead.)
Excerpted from The Mozza Cookbook by Nancy Silverton with Matt Molina and Carolynn Carreno. Copyright © 2011 by Nancy Silverton. Excerpted by permission of Knopf, a division of Random House. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.