These stuffed dates with vegan ricotta cheese are candy, savory, and fully irresistable! A ending drizzle of herb-infused agave syrup takes their taste to new heights. The dates are excellent hors d’oeuvres for entertaining, and so they additionally make a fantastic, plant-based snack.
I like Medjool dates a lot that it’s typically exhausting to see any purpose for embellishing them. In the event you ask me, they’re one of the crucial excellent meals: nature’s sweet!
Each time I do incorporate dates into recipes, nonetheless, I’m reminded of how culinarily versatile they’re.
I typically add chopped Medjool dates to salads or grain salads. The add irresistable pockets of sweetness to my Israeli couscous and roasted cauliflower salad, as an example.
The smooth texture of Medjool dates makes it simple to mix them up in sauces and dressings. I like turning them right into a naturally sweetened, selfmade date BBQ sauce.
Talking of sauce, Medjool dates create essentially the most excellent vegan salted caramel sauce I’ve ever made. There’s nothing higher than drizzling it onto vegan vanilla ice cream!
Whereas we’re on the subject of dessert, vegan sticky toffee pudding is one in every of my favourite desserts of all time, and dates are the important thing to its texture and taste.
As you may see, these recipes that I’ve listed fall squarely into two classes: candy and savory. The recipe that I’m sharing at this time, stuffed dates with vegan ricotta cheese, is each.
A candy & salty delight
The dates on this recipe are themselves, after all, naturally and delightfully candy. However the vegan cheese that will get stuffed into their facilities—made out of cashews and tofu—is salty and savory.
Even the toppings bridge the savory and candy divide: they’re chopped, salted, roasted pistachios and an herb-infused drizzle of agave syrup.
I’ve at all times beloved candy and salty combos, and I believe that these dates are a dream to eat.
I’m not the one one that provides them two enthusiastic thumbs up, although: I served the stuffed dates to associates just a few months in the past, in a late winter gathering. They had been universally beloved and disappeared virtually instantly. I’m so glad to be (lastly!) sharing the recipe.
What are stuffed dates?
What precisely does it imply to stuff a date?
It’s fairly easy, truly. Dates have seeds, which are sometimes referred to as pits. They’re not edible of their entire kind.
Date pits can be utilized to make espresso, together with different functions. However it’s customary for folk who’re snacking on dates to take away the pits first; some dates are bought already pitted.
While you take away the pit from an entire date, there’s a handy little pocket left within the date inside. This pocket could be “stuffed” with a filling of some kind.
I’ve made many iterations of candy stuffed dates. Protein peanut butter stuffed dates—mainly, plant protein powder and peanut butter, stuffed into the middle of a chocolate-dipped date—are a favourite. They style like snickers bars!
These savory vegan stuffed dates are full of one in every of my favourite, selfmade culinary staples: 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese.
Vegan cheese, please
Like many individuals, I discovered that the toughest meals to transition away from once I grew to become vegan was dairy cheese.
Retailer-bought plant-based cheeses have come fairly a great distance within the years since I grew to become vegan. There at the moment are so many choices, some available in shops throughout the nation, others native and artisanal.
Earlier than such choices existed, I realized tips on how to make selfmade cashew cheese.
Like goat cheese, my vegan cashew cheese is a bit tangy and salty, and dietary yeast provides it some “tacky” taste.
That cashew cheese recipe gave option to different selfmade vegan cheeses: melty vegan cashew mozzarella, vegan feta cheese, cashew parmesan, and cashew queso.
My 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese is a superb evolution of the unique cashew cheese recipe. It has an identical taste, however a barely lighter texture.
It may be utilized in all the similar methods you may use ricotta—together with stuffed dates.
Can I exploit store-bought vegan ricotta as an alternative?
Sure, you may! I’m a fan of the Kite Hill model ricotta myself.
What kind of dates ought to I exploit for stuffed dates?
There are a selection of forms of date fruits. The dates that I like to recommend for this stuffed date recipe are Medjool dates.
Medjool dates could be ordered on-line or present in shops throughout the US. They’ve a really smooth texture, and their signature sweetness is harking back to caramel.
Medjool dates are native to Morocco, however at this time, they’re additionally grown in nations throughout the Center East, in addition to in Africa and South Asia.
My favourite Medjool dates to snack on and use in recipes come from the Rancho Meladuco date farm in California.
Joan Smith started the date farm with 4 date timber that had been planted in her private residence many years in the past. Her dates are a number of the most flavorful I’ve ever had, and so they’re at all times contemporary and candy once they arrive to me.
For the stuffed date recipe, you need to use your personal favourite Medjool dates, both from a neighborhood store or from a grower you’re keen on.
It doesn’t matter what, nonetheless, I do suggest utilizing Medjool dates, somewhat than one other selection. They provide these stuffed dates their sumptuousness and depth of taste.
Herb-infused agave syrup
Do-it-yourself vegan ricotta and the dates themselves are centerpieces of this recipe. Nonetheless, two toppings make the stuffed dates much more particular.
The primary is chopped, roasted pistachio nuts. You should buy salted and roasted or plain roasted, whichever you want. I like to purchase pistachios with no shells, because it saves me the hassle of eradicating the shells from them.
If pistachios aren’t for you, you possibly can substitute one other roasted and salted, chopped nut as an alternative. Walnuts, almonds, and macadamia nuts would all work nicely.
When you’ve got a tree nut allergy however can eat seeds, you possibly can attempt toasted and salted, chopped pepitas as nicely.
The second topping was a primary for me, one thing I’ve by no means tried earlier than.
I used to be questioning if a drizzle of agave can be good on high of the dates. The extra I considered it, the extra I concluded that sure, it might be.
However I needed to proceed with the candy and savory theme.
In the long run, I made a decision to do an herb-infused agave syrup. And I’m so glad that I did.
The style of herbs within the syrup is delicate, but it surely’s particular, and it’s there. A bit goes a great distance, and leftover syrup can discover its manner onto vegan ricotta toast, savory oats, salads, baked candy potato, and a lot extra.
Learn how to make vegan stuffed dates
There are some to creating these stuffed dates, however none of them are particularly exhausting or time consuming. Right here’s tips on how to create the right celebration appetizer, one step at a time.
Step 1: Make the herb syrup
That is actually so simple as bringing agave syrup and a bundle of herbs to a simmer for ten minutes, then permitting it to face for an additional 20 minutes.
Pressure the syrup, then both retailer it within the fridge for as much as 1 week or transfer ahead with the recipe.
Step 2: Take away the pits out of your dates and chop up your pistachios
This step is self-explanatory!
Step 3: Stuff the dates
Right here, you’ll simply add a few tablespoon (or a smidge much less) of vegan ricotta to the middle of every date. I exploit a teaspoon to do that.
Step 4: Toppings, toppings
Lastly, you’ll high the stuffed dates along with your chopped pistachio nuts and drizzle them with the syrup.
And that’s it! Your lovely stuffed dates are able to eat.
While you make the recipe, I like to recommend having the vegan ricotta prepped and able to go: it is going to make meeting really feel lots smoother and extra seamless.
Vegan ricotta could be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. Use your leftovers on toast or in vegan pasta dishes.
Meal prep & storage
Talking of storage, you may completely put together the stuffed dates forward of time. This may be particularly helpful in case you intend to serve them for entertaining.
I like to recommend drizzling the nice and cozy, herb-infused agave syrup solely proper earlier than you serve the dates. However they are often stuffed and topped with the pistachios, transferred to a storage container and saved within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Taste variations
There are many methods to differ the flavour profiles of this recipe.
You might add totally different herbs to the agave syrup, or you possibly can substitute it with date syrup or pomegranate molasses.
You might high the dates with spiced nuts or vegan candied pecans or vegan candied walnuts. Additionally, you may change the topping altogether: I’m wanting to attempt the dates with crumbled tempeh bacon.
In the event you like, you possibly can add Italian seasoning to the ricotta, or you possibly can fold chopped, sun-dried tomatoes into it. To emphasise the candy notes right here, you possibly can add a pinch of cinnamon to the ricotta, too.
Mainly, use your judgment, and let your style buds paved the way.
Right here’s the bottom recipe.
Stuffed Dates with Vegan Ricotta Cheese
Creator –
Yields: 16 stuffed dates
For the herb-infused syrup:
- 1/2 cup agave syrup
- 4 sprigs contemporary thyme
- 4 sprigs contemporary rosemary
- 4 contemporary sage leaves
For the stuffed dates:
- 16 Medjool dates
- 1 cup (heaping) 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese (about half of a batch; the remainder can be utilized in recipes, as a topping for toast, or frozen till wanted)
- 1/2 cup roasted pistachios, shells eliminated, salted or unsalted (60g; substitute walnuts, almonds, or one other nut of selection)
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Deliver the agave syrup and the herbs to a simmer over low warmth in a small, non-reactive saucepan (I like to make use of nonstick). Simmer, coated, over very low warmth for 10 minutes. Take away the saucepan from warmth and permit it to face for 20 minutes. Pressure the agave syrup by means of a small sieve right into a mason jar or one other small, warmth proof container for storage. Retailer the syrup within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
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Slice all the Medjool dates lengthwise down the middle and take away the pits.
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By hand or in a meals processor fitted with the S blade, roughly chop or pulse the pistachios till they’re roughly chopped.
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To organize the dates, stuff the middle of every date with 2-3 teaspoons of vegan ricotta cheese. Sprinkle the dates with the chopped nuts. Lastly, drizzle all the dates with the herb-infused syrup, about 1-2 teaspoons over every date. Serve or retailer.
Retailer stuffed dates within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Reserve drizzling the syrup till proper earlier than serving.
Take a look at that, a recipe put up!
I do know it’s been some time. However that is such a fantastic recipe to get again into the swing of issues with. These dates are a delight, and although I first made them months in the past, I do know that they’ll be a dish I share with company and associates many times.
I hope you’ll love them, too.
xo
