dates – Page 3 – GUTSy Performance Nutrition

Sweet Potato Spread is a favorite fall treat. It’s nothing like you’re thinking, I’m sure. It reminds me of sweetly spiced pumpkin butter—gone rebel. With its peanutty tang, nutty sweet brown rice syrup, and rebellious little chunks of sweet potato deliberately left unsmoothed. Oh and that dash of salt. It just likes to place mischief. Try it spread on a hefty slab of moist date bread like I did here, or some simple morning toast. Or if you’re feeling really rebellious slather it thick on nice slices of homemade bread, layered with thin apple pieces, a bit of sharp cheese, and some greens. Now that’s a rebellious sweet potato butter sandwich.

As for that Date Bread, it’s a bit of a sweet delicious treat. Moist and comforting, homey and looking like fall should–this is one date bread that’s even a bit good for you! It is certainly a match for that delightfully rebellious little sweet potato spread.

Sweet Potato Spread

1 large orange sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 Tbs. peanut butter

1-2 Tbs. brown rice syrup

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

pinch sea salt

Boil or roast sweet potato until it’s soft and mashable. Mash it a bit until it’s slightly smooth but still chunky.

Stir in peanut butter, syrup, spices, and salt. Add more to taste. If you’d like it a bit more smooth, pour into a food processor and puree a bit until it reaches the desired consistency.

Date Bread, adapted from Whole Living

1 1/2 cups hot water

1 cup pitted dates, chopped

1 large egg

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 35o degrees F. Coat a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan with oil. In a medium bowl, pour hot water over dates and let stand about 5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Whisk in egg, oil, and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together flours, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. Fold wet mixture into dry until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake about 65 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes, then turn out from pan onto cooling rack.

As you may have noticed, the blog is in a bit of a transition right now. Changing names, titles, addresses, etc. Stay tuned for more to come on finer details of changes being made!

I’ve admitted it before. I have a weakness for sweets. For the past two weeks, however, I’ve given up refined sugars, among other things, in the Whole Living 28 Day Challenge. I honestly feel, though I know it will be challenging to permanently slash refined sugars from my diet, that I feel better without them. For the past week I have been gradually adding ingredients back in, watching carefully, noticing the changes I feel as I add. Now I am ready to add in baked goods, even if they are slightly more virtuous than usual.

Enter Oatie-Date Tea Cookies. I was wary of this recipe from the get-go. It’s refined-sugar-free and has no oil, butter, margarine, etc. In a nutshell, it’s wholesome. While this is exactly what I was looking for, I’ve not great experience with virtuous cookies. They just don’t turn out. These however, were a prize in the making. They received my resident cookie critique’s seal of approval. And while they’re not as sweet or fluffy as your usual cookie, they go perfectly with a great cup of steaming tea.

Oatie-Date Tea Cookies, adapted from the Bob’s Red Mill Baking Book

2 1/2 cups quick cooking rolled oats

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup brown rice syrup

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped dried dates

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, salt, and baking powder.
In another bowl, beat together the eggs and syrup, along with the vanilla. Stir in the dates. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well.
Drop the batter by teaspoons onto the prepared sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Smash cookies down with a spatula approximately two minutes before they are done.