In Florida, we look forward to fall as it means, cooler, beautiful weather, unlike the 90 degree plus humidity temps we are used to all summer long. With that comes all those delicious fall festivals and good eats! I am a sucker for all things fall since I grew up in Atlanta, and just a short drive to Ellijay, GA where all the fabulous apple festivals are held.
It has become a tradition that our family will enjoy dinner in our little quaint downtown area in Winter Garden, FL and feast on great delicacies at Plant Street Market. Inside this great market is Press’d Juice Bar & Kitchen. I had the wonderful opportunity to have one of their fall smoothies, the Pumpkin Spice Smoothie. To describe to you the burst of raw, vegan delicious flavor would be a travesty as it is one you must personally experience. However, the real surprise was the “caramel sauce” that was drizzled on top. Being Press’d Juice Bar is a vegan bar, I knew this was no ordinary sauce. When I asked what they were drizzling on top of the smoothie, the sweet gal responded that it was “date sauce.”
While I am an all thing organic, fresh, healthy, sometimes raw kind of gal, I have never heard of this!
After I slurped and practically licked my cup clean from that incredible smoothie, I raced home to experiment in making this date sauce. After a few moments surfing the net, I came up with what I feel is a very close recipe to what I experienced in the pumpkin smoothie from Press’d Juice Bar.
My date sauce whipped up so nicely that it took on the form of a thick, gooey caramel sauce that is absolutely finger licking delicious! Of course the real test came when I offered a plate of sliced tart apples to my teenage boys with a bowl of “caramel sauce” for dipping.
Needless to say, this will be a new staple in our house and the possibilities are endless!
I am a scratch cook sometimes when it comes to experimenting in the kitchen, therefore my recipe has no measured ingredients.
Vegan Date Sauce
3 Handfuls of organic dried pitted Dates
Water
Organic Vanilla Bean (or Organic Vanilla Extract)
Soak dates in water that just covers them for 8-12 hours OR to speed up the process, boil water and pour over dates to just cover them until they get soft. Once they are good and soft, dump the date mixture, and add vanilla bean to the Vitamix. Pulse a few times, then slowly blend increasing intensity and adding water as needed. If you want a thicker sauce, stop when desired consistency is achieved. For a thinner sauce, add water. Blend til smooth and creamy.
ENJOY!
Organic Sport Chic 