Creamy Bacon-Wrapped Dates and a Giveaway

I admit it:  I thrive off of watching people savor foods that I make with love in my kitchen.  There is something so satisfying about watching my guests eat and enjoy foods that I have created.  Lately, I have been in a bit of a creative slump, so I have been pouring through all of the cookbooks that are sitting on my kitchen shelf.  Today’s recipe is one that I found in my all-time favorite Paleo cookbook, The Paleo Foodie Cookbook.   You are going to LOVE these Creamy Bacon-Wrapped Dates.

Imagine warm, sweet dates filled with gooey cashew cream wrapped in crispy bacon.  Yeah, enough said.  RIGHT?  These are the perfect appetizer.  It is actually the very first recipe in The Paleo Foodie Cookbook.  When I saw the recipe and the drool-worthy picture, I knew exactly what I wanted to make.  I’ve had bacon-wrapped dates before but never like this.  MIND BLOWN!

One of my most favorite things about blogging is the fabulous and amazing people I get to meet.  I love connecting with kindred spirits who share my love of food and healthy living.  I first met the author of The Paleo Foodie Cookbook at a blogger’s potluck in San Francisco last year.  Arsy, who blogs over at Rubies and Radishes, brought the most amazing chicken salad stuffed avocados.  I knew we would be friends.

I have been following Arsy’s blog for some time know.  I loved her first cookbook, The Paleo Slow Cooker, so when she came out with The Paleo Foodie Cookbook, I knew I was going to love it. All I can say is if you love food and you love healthy eating and you love creative recipes that are easy to make, this book is for you.   Yes, the recipes are all paleo-friendly, buy anyone who considers themselves a foodie will appreciate the 120 creative and nourishing dishes in this book.

The first thing that I made from her book was obviously these tasty little bacon-wrapped dates I am about to share with you.  Like I said, outrageously good.  I have also made the grilled lamb chops with mint pesto, the pork chops with pomegranate-ginger sauce, the chorizo cauliflower rice, and the curried cabbage salad.  Needless to say, everything was divine.  All easy to prepare and bursting with flavor.

Next on my list is the slow-cooker chocolate chicken mole.  Can’t wait!

What I love most about The Paleo Foodie Cookbook is that all of the recipes are short and sweet.  Arsy has a gift for creating recipes that are simple yet complex in flavor. She creates sophisticated culinary masterpieces out of fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.  I find it intimidating when I open up a cookbook and the cooking instructions are a mile long.

I also love all of the colorful and mouth-watering photos in the book.  I literally sit in my bed and pour over all of the delicious things she has created.

GIVEAWAY:

I guess you can tell I’m in love with this book.  And I would love for you to be too.  So not only am I sharing the recipe for her awesome Creamy Bacon-Wrapped Dates, I am also giving away one copy of this beautiful book.

All you have to do to enter to win is to Sign up for my free weekly newsletter featuring my most recent grain and dairy free REAL food recipes and healthy living tips. You will never get any spam from me nor will I EVER sell my email list. You can unsubscribe at any time. Only subscribers are eligible to win. I will cross check the winner with my email list.

Once you sign up,use the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post to confirm entry and unlock more.  Winner will be announce here on  August 6, 2014.

Now on to that recipe:

Creamy Bacon-Wrapped Dates

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Arsy from The Paleo Foodie Cookbook
• Yield: 10 (2 per person) 1x

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Ingredients

• FOR THE FILLING:
• 1 cup/110 g raw, whole cashews
• filtered water for soaking
• ⅓ cup/80 ml water
• 1 heaping tbsp/20 g of nutritional yeast from non-GMO beets
• 2 tbsp/6 g chives, chopped
• 6 large basil leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup/10 g fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp/15 ml fresh lemon juice
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 10 pieces of bacon, cut in half
• 20 Medjool dates, slit, seeds removed

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Instructions

1. Directions:
2. Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with filtered water. Allow them to soak for 5 to 6 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C.
4. Remove the cashews from the water, rinse them and place them in a food processor. Add ⅓ cup/ 80 ml filtered water and pulse until cashews are creamy, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the rest of the filling ingredients (yeast, chives, basil, parsley, garlic,lemon juice, lemon zest, pepper) and pulse until they are well combined,about 1 more minute. Adjust salt to taste.
6. Fill dates with cashew filling.
7. Securely wrap each date in a half-piece of bacon. Arrange dates on a wire rack and set on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is cooked through.
8. Serve warm.

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