Half the Guilt Caramel: Raw and Vegan!

What do you do with a half peck of apples?

Last weekend Mike and I stopped at an orchard and came home with a big ol' mix bag of apples.

Also sweet potatoes.

Now don't get me wrong, nothing in the world is a better afternoon snack than apples and peanut butter. But let's say you've lost count of how many days you are into the apple and p.b. snack binge of 2013. You might be looking for a new dipping option.

Source

You may also be finding yourself inundated with mouth watering images like the one above. Nutrious work break vs. seasonal sweet break?? What's a girl to do...

Never fear my friends. It's Date Caramel to the rescue! 

Half the calories..half the fat...all the deliciousness.

I've heard of date caramel before and have experimented with a couple other raw desserts using dates as the sweetener. With a pile of apples sitting on the counter begging to be used, I figured now was the time to try it out.  For the complete recipe I used, including the list of ingredients, please check out this blog.

Overall, it was a pretty easy process using pretty normal ingredients (normal for our house anyway). Any dates will do. I found mine near the bulk section of Whole Foods, but I've found them near the raisins and other dried fruits in a standard grocery store as well. 

For me it was as easy as assembling the ingredients...

I skipped the lemon juice..didn't have any in the house. nbd

Dumping them in my blender...

and blending them up...

Blend, blend, and blend some more.

...til it turns into a smooth and creamy consistency

yummy

If you don't have a high speed blender, see the note in the original recipe about soaking the dates.

This is both a raw and vegan recipe, but that doesn't mean you should be eating it by the spoonful. For me it works as a nice change from peanut butter. That being said, this recipe does kick-butt compared to the store bought stuff.

Store bought example source.

I plugged in the ingredients in to an online nutrition calculator and was not disappointed. Compared to the pre-made stuff in the tub, this recipe has about half the calories and half the fat. Win! It's also not processed or filled with preservatives. And really guys, any excuse to fire up the VitaMix is more than welcome in our house.

Plus did I mention it's delicious?!?! 

Happy munching.

Go make yourself a snack! We're half-way to the weekend!