Date paste is a natural, whole-food way to add sweetness and a rich, caramel-like flavor to recipes, providing a form of sweetness I can feel good about using. It’s used in the Lentil Loaf, Apple Oat Crisp, and Cranberry Chutney recipes included here. Store in fridge or in freezer.

Ingredients:

1 pound dates, pitted  (I recommend the large soft Medjool dates)

boiling water

1.  Pit the dates and place them in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and let soak for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour to soften dates, depending on how moist the dates are to start.

2.  Drain dates, reserving soaking water for Step 3 and for hot tea or smoothies.

3.  Place soaked dates in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the S blade, add 1 cup of the reserved soaking water, and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed. Add more water if the paste needs to be thinner.