Hemp Seed Stuffed Dates {vegan, paleo, nut-free}

These juicy, chewy dates stuffed with organic hemp seeds and topped with sea salt are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, nut-free, vegan, and paleo.  Perfect for a snack or dessert and suitable for those on elimination diets.

Dates are a favorite snack of mine because they are so sweet, juicy and caramel-like all on their own.  I don't have to add any additional sugar and in my book that is fabulous!

What's crazy is that the only time I ever had a date was when I was at a catered family gathering MANY years ago and they had them stuffed or wrapped in bacon.  That was my experience with dates.  And it wasn't like having a ton.  It was one or two at a party, never really fully tasting their sugary sweet natural profile.

Until I went back to nutrition school at  IIN and learned about all the other fruits and veggies that no one ever talked about.

And as it turns out dates have been around in the U.S. since 1898 and I'm just getting on this foodie trend now.  Where have I been, right?  And where have you been?  Forget white sugar!

So, dates.

• Taste super sugary with no added sugar
• So chewy and SWEET like caramel
• Perfect for baking, raw treats, no-bake treats, smoothies
• You can use dates in baking as the only form of sugar
• Filled with vitamins like potassium, fiber, antioxidants and trace amounts of Selenium which is good for hair
• Boosted with magnesium, manganese, and Copper
• Dates will help you poop regularly - Yay!
• The perfect nutrient-dense snack

**The only times that dates are not your friend is if you have Candida or yeast overgrowth, or extreme SIBO.  

Back to the date fruit as a superstar!

Dates are so super sweet that sometimes you need to eat them with something else to balance out the sugary profile.  That's where these darling hemp seeds come into play.  In my eyes, the only ingredients suitable to be stuffed into dates are a protein.  Why?  Because you need to be satiated not hungry.  I did not want this to be a fluff snack.  I wanted nutrient-dense, so I went with hemp seeds and let me tell you they are out of this world amazing!  Medjool Dates are the STAR OF THE SHOW!

But they are also "DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER" because they aren't the prettiest of fruits, often looking wrinkled and shriveled.  But one bite or the whole darn thing?  Pure Heaven.

Ready to make beautiful music together?

 

When you de-pit the dates you'll want them to remain intact and not fallen apart.  This is how you do it: Mold the middle like a rounded bowl or hot dog bun with a flat bottom.  Or pretend you are in a baking class or pottery class.  It's time to make the base.  The base must be sturdy to hold the other ingredients the same way a bowl would hold ingredients.

Want something more fun?  Try these date-sweetened CAKE-POPS!

Enjoy!!!