Pumpkin Date Spread

This spread was inspired by Lindsay, who left a message for me about the Maple Pumpkin Butter Spread.  Lindsay can’t eat nuts, seeds or coconut and she asked what could be used instead of the coconut butter/manna.  I thought long and hard about it, I wanted to make it work for her.

This morning, I stumbled into the kitchen with bed-head at its best and I had one of those, “aah-haa” moments! DATES!  Sometimes when we over think things we miss the obvious.  Dates not only provide sweetness, they are wonderful for thickening recipes.    I am very picky about the dates that I use in my raw recipes… I am a fan of Medjool dates. They are sweet, tender, exceptionally large compared to other dried dates.  Medjool dates can replace sugar or honey, they taste like caramel, and have a deeper, more complex flavor then many other sweeteners. From a health standpoint, they are a good source of fiber and contain high levels of potassium, magnesium, copper, and manganese.

To select the best Medjool dates, look for ones that are organically grown and not treated with sulfur, which is used to preserve their color.  Medjools have a wrinkly skin, dense but soft to the touch.  Medjools will sometimes form a white powder film on the skin, these are just the natural sugars coming to the surface, which does not affect the flavor or quality.

Place the dates into an airtight container and leave at room temperature.   They can be stored in this manner for up to one week.  Move the container of dates into the refrigerator to store for 6 months.  Freeze the dates in an airtight container if you want to store your dates for up to 1 year.  If you store them in the fridge or freezer,  please give them time to warm up to room temperature before using.

So, here you go Lindsay, and all of you who can’t eat coconut butter…  I present to you…

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Ingredients: yields 1 cup

• 1/2 cup date paste
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 pinch of sea salt

Preparation:

1. Place all of the ingredients into the blender and process until smooth.
2. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  Should be good for about 5-7 days.

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How to make raw pumpkin puree:

1. Start with a sugar pie pumpkin.  Wash and dry it.
2. Place the pumpkin on a cutting board on its side.  Carefully cut off the top and bottom, leaving a flat surface.
3. With a potato peeler, remove the skin.  I used to use a knife but I found I wasted more of the “flesh” with that technique.
4. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds with your hands.  Place the seeds in a small bowl for later.  You can dehydrate them for a delicious snack!
5. Now cut the pumpkin flesh into small chunks.
6. In the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, process the pumpkin chunks until it is broken down nice and small.  I take it one step further but it is optional.
7. I transfer the puree into my high-speed blender and pulverize it until it is VERY smooth.  I am all about mouth-feel.  You will have to stop the blender from time to time to scrap down the sides.
8. That’s it, very easy!

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Don’t have pumpkin spice on hand?  No problem, you can make your own, here’s how:

Ingredients: yields 8 teaspoons of Pumpkin Spice

 

Posted on Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at 6:45 pm. Filed under: Holidays & Parties, Spreads Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar-free, Vegan RSS 2.0 feed.