Hello, sweet readers. In this issue:

• Why dates are good for you

• A breakfast date

• 18 recipes for snacks, salads, and more

• Dateline: 2000 BC

How sweet it is!

Dates are the ultimate guilt-free indulgence. Tender and sweet, they are a little mysterious, a little seductive, and the perfect impostor for a caramel. The biggest surprise is that these tiny treats deliver an oversized nutritional punch – a multivitamin that tastes like dessert. I always keep medjool dates around for my afternoon snack when I feel a slump coming on, giving me the boost I need to work out or take a walk. And there’s science behind this.

Dates offer a unique energy experience, releasing their sugars more slowly to provide sustained energy rather than the sugar highs from processed sweets. They are also rich in fiber to help regulate blood sugar, potassium for heart health, and antioxidants to combat inflammation. Read more about dates’ nutritional value.

A breakfast date 

I first got hooked on dates when I was in kindergarten, when one of my classmates brought in oat and date bars. It wasn’t until recently that I had a craving for these and found two recipes that sounded close. I decided to make these healthy date bars (pictured above) because they have no added fat or sugar, and they were delicious for breakfast with my vanilla bourbon tea. Next time, I’m trying these oat and date squares that are probably closer to what I first had in the 1960s.

With cooler weather approaching, this soul-warming baked oatmeal is nutritious and will keep you full all morning. That's due to its healthy ingredients like bananas, pecans, almond milk, and, of course, dates. Cut into squares, refrigerate or freeze, and you have a ready-made meal. Make a batch of these seasonal apple date bars, also sugar- and fat-free, and perfect with your morning cup of tea or coffee.

One of my favorites is using dates in smoothies. They add a richness and a subtle caramel-y taste. My standby recipe is a date shake with chia seeds. These offer a complete protein, so it’s one of the healthier options out there. Another smoothie that tops my list is this creamy date coffee smoothie – it gives you all the nutrition you need in the morning, plus your cuppa’ joe. There’s one more worth mentioning; it kept me going while I spent two months recovering from surgery: a cinnamon date smoothie. It gave me strength, satiety, and most of all, it was delicious!

Some mornings, I dress up my plain Greek yogurt with chopped dates, almonds, and maple syrup, or just drizzle the yogurt with date syrup from the grocery store. It’s also easy to make date syrup at home. More on date syrup and its amazing and delicious uses.

Ideas for the rest of the day

Whether you're entertaining guests or enjoying a quiet moment for yourself, here are some unexpected ways to dress up your dates.

For salads and main courses, dates can add another intriguing layer of flavor. For a refreshing change, try this addictive baby spinach salad from Yotam Ottolenghi. The contrast between the delicate greens, the crunch of almonds, the surprising bits of crispy pita, dates, and the citrusy vinaigrette is sensational.

Dates rise to the occasion in this easy baked chicken recipe. It calls for chicken thighs but breasts work, too. You’ll see that it calls for kosher salt; I prefer Crystal Diamond for the way it’s quickly absorbed by the ingredients it's added to.

Dates can also be chopped and used in place of raisins. I often make this substitution when I bake, such as with my favorite recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies. Feel free to add some chopped pistachios or pecans for a deeper flavor profile.

Goat-Cheese-Stuffed Dates 

Savory Stuffed Dates With Pecans

Stuffed Dates with Peanut Butter & Chocolate 

Stuffed Dates: 8 Variations

Here’s an impressive dessert that’s as elegant as it is effortless; 

For each serving, pour some of your favorite hot fudge sauce at the bottom of individual bowls, add a scoop or two of French vanilla ice cream, sprinkle with a few torn dates, and drizzle with a bit of high-quality olive oil on top. The simplicity and richness of the ingredients come together as a heavenly mouthful.

If you love brownies (we’re guessing that you do), these chocolaty, fudgy date brownies eliminate refined sugar without sacrificing any of its decadence.

Dateline: 2,000 BC

As one of the world’s oldest cultivated foods, dates have been a part of civilization for over 4,000 years. History tells us that date palms were first recognized as a food source in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, and spread throughout the Fertile Crescent. Dates were considered so valuable in ancient Egypt that they were placed in the tombs of pharaohs. Today, the date palm remains revered for its resilience and productivity, with a single tree surviving for more than 100 years and producing hundreds of pounds of fruit annually.

We look forward to building this tapestry of experiences with you.