Friday, February 03, 2017

...Date Purée...as a sugar replacement...

...I've been trying to use less sugar whenever I can for a while now...I like stevia pretty well in my tea...but not coffee...which is kinda funny...but I've been finding that different sweeteners work better for different things...
...and since dates are one of the sweetest natural things out there...I picked up a couple of kinds of dates at the regular grocery store...the one on the right is kind of a hard block of dates and the one on the left is a softer loose pack...
...so I opened the block of dates and broke them apart...they're pretty hard...
...so I'm soaking them in some water before I use them...and I didn't even open the other bag yet because there are really a lot of dates packed into this little box...
...then I just put the dates and their soaking water into the Vitamix...and blended them up...
...it looks a bit like apple butter...and it is really really sweet...
...the first thing I tried it in was a bowl of 'Cream of Wheat' or semolina...and it was really yummy...I'm thinking that anything I'd eat raisins in/with will be pretty easily sweetened with Date Purée...

...what alternative sweeteners have you tried?...

~Have a lovely day!

6 comments:

  1. that's pretty neat, hadn't thought of dates as a sweetener. and wow, it's been a LONG time since i've had Cream of Wheat!!

    love, k

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  2. I've been eating a lot of dates lately as well. They have large containers of them at Costco. I also started using Xylotol as a sweetener. It was originally made from birch bark (I think), now corn. I found it as part of a way to better tooth health. Google Kiss Your Dentist Goodbye. I tried doing a Whole 30 elimination diet, and the Xylotol was not allowed, but dates were.

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  3. love dates and prunes..i have prunes with my oatmeal..dont know why the dates and prunes have to be so expensive..:-) trying to find if flax will be good to add to my oatmeal..maybe pine nuts also..have a great day.

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    Replies
    1. Every morning I have blueberries and canned grapefruit at breakfast and I put a large spoonful of ground flaxseed in that, works well. I would think it would work well in oatmeal - or porridge as we call it in the UK.

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  4. I'm diabetic so I don't try any sweeteners. If I have something sweetened it is usually with honey as I don't like stevia (too sweet for my taste buds). I also recently been eating dates which I bought to make bliss balls but haven't actually made the bliss yet, he he. I'm finding I like a few dates every other day or so just eaten as is (my dates are quite soft and pitted). I will eventually get around to making the tasty treats which are meant for a snack when out and about and needing a pick me up.

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  5. Oops, I said I don't try sweeteners. But I do eat sweets. Yikes. I've been trying to move toward naturally sweetened foods but some like dates I have to use in moderation. So glad you are finding many uses for the date sweetener.

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