8 Ramadan recipes using dates

Yay with it being Ramadan, i just had to put together my 8 Ramadan recipes using dates. There are so many benefits to eating dates. Not only is it a great source of energy, it also does all of this.

It's been a few days since my last post so firstly i want to apologise for not getting the posts out that i should have by now. Last week was a particularly hectic week here. I was 'house sitting' and staying with my gran in law. I also had quite a bit going on with the charity i work with. So in-between preparing for a big meeting, a mini meeting, an event and the inevitable ramadan rush, i kind of lost my way with the blog altogether.

So, it's Ramadan! For all those taking part, Ramadan Mubarak to you and your families! May it be a month of huge blessings for you. For those who do not take part, in the most simplest terms, Ramadan is when Muslims are obliged to abstain from food, drink, tobacco use, and any kind of sexual contact between dawn and sunset. Spiritually, we must also abstain from gossip, lying, slander etc.  Amongst other things Ramadan is a month of self restraint and inner reflection. It is as much about fasting/prayer/giving, as it is about purifying the soul.

During Ramdan, my husband likes to eat very healthily. So much to the dismay of some of my friends and family, we do not have a freezer bursting with fried treats, waiting to be devoured at iftar time. Instead, we spend the month eating soups, meat and salads. If i am able to, i will put our meals for the day up on snapchat. My ID is tiffinandtea. Follow us!

During Ramadan, I also try to do a Ramadan based activity with my kids every day. This is something i started a couple of years ago and my kids loved it. Again, i will try to remember to update my snapchat with the activities.

For now, here are some of my favourite quick recipes using dates! I did also want to make sticky toffee pudding and date crisp bars but because they take a little longer to make, i left them out. I hope you enjoy this little round up! All the dates used are medjool dates.

Nabeez

 This is a prophetic drink and as such i knew it would hold some benefit to me.The part that struck me the most is that this is an alkalising drink that removes acidity from the stomach.More on the benefits of that here.

Ingredients and Directions:

Simply soak the dates overnight and drink the water in which they are soaked in the morning.

Notes: Leaving them for too long in a warm place can cause fermentation. Yesterday it was particularly hot, so i put my jar in the fridge to do its thing.

This picture was taken just as the dates went in.

 

 

Date, Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

I make this drink EVERY Ramadan. Why? Because It is energy boosting, filling and delicious. I add some full bananas in sometimes and more oats. This makes it a little thicker and i then eat it with a spoon.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 bananas, 8 dates pitted, 2 tablespoon peanut butter, ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder, 20g oats, 500 ml milk, 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy!

Date Bliss Bites 

These are great little truffle style bites that keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and are an instant pick me up. They are also a great snack idea for kids or indeed for the husbands tiffin!

(Makes 20 - 25 balls)

Ingredients:

200g mixed chopped nuts, 3tbsp cocoa powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 420g dates pitted and soaked in just enough water to cover them, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 1 piece of dark chocolate (Or around 10 - 15g).

Directions:

Put the nuts and cocoa powder in a food processor and pulse. Remove the dates from the water and drain, squeezing as much water out as you can. Add the dates, and coconut oil to the blender and process until it starts to come together. Roll into 1 inch balls. Top with a little salt and grate a little chocolate over each ball.

Date Cereal Bars

How handy are cereal bars? There's nothing better then a grab and go snack at Suhoor time.  Here's how i make my cereal bars. The dark chocolate is optional and the bars are delicious without it too.

(Makes 10 - 12 bars)

Ingredients:

230g oats, 130g mixed chopped nuts and seeds, 75g dates pitted and chopped/blended into ½ cm pieces, 170g peanut butter, 110ml honey or agave nectar, 100g 70% or higher dark chocolate melted (optional), sprinkle sea salt (optional).

Directions:

Line a small baking tin with cling film or baking paper. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the bars apart from the dark chocolate and sea salt. Stir well until well combined. If the mixture is dry, squeeze in a little more agave or honey. Spread the mixture in the prepared tin and press down firmly with a spatula/small glass cup, back of spoon - whatever you fancy. Pop in the fridge overnight. If using dark chocolate, top bars with dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt. Cut into bars and wrap individually. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Date Biscuits

These are delicious and again really easy to make. They are chewy, sweet and despite their small size, quite a satisfying snack.

(Makes 25 - 30)

Ingredients: 

350g dates pitted, 3 tablespoon ghee, 2 teaspoon sugar (optional), 10 crackers or digestive biscuits broken roughly into 1cm pieces.

Directions: 

In a small pan over a low heat, combine all the ingredients. Keep stirring the dates with a wooden spoon until you can feel that they have broken down enough to form a ball with the other ingredients. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly (not too much because the mixture won't stick together). Roll out and cut about 30 cm of cling film. Add the date mixture to the middle of it and roll together to form a cylindrical roll shape. Try to get this as tight as possible. Twist the ends together and put the roll into the fridge for 2- 3 hours. Remove from the fridge, remove cling film and cut into biscuits. These keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Chocolate Dates

These are a favourite with everyone and so simple to put together. They are also great to make with the kids.

Ingredients:

Dates:

Dates pitted and sliced open but not all the way through, Dark chocolate, Milk chocolate White chocolate.

Flavours/Toppings/Directions:

I haven't included quantities here because it depends on the number of dates you are using. As a rough guide, we made 120 with 300g dark chocolate and 200g milk chocolate. I combined both chocolates in one bowl. For the white chocolate dates, i use 50g because i only covered 20 of the dates. To make the dates, you will need to line a tray with baking paper and after dipping the dates in chocolate, add them to the tray. Once they are covered, pop them into the fridge to set. 

Nutella and Hazelnut - Hazelnut with ¼ teaspoon nutella in the middle of the date. Close the date. Dip into the dark/milk chocolate mixture and top with a hazelnut.

Stem Ginger - Small piece of stem ginger in the middle of the date. Close the date. Dip into the dark/milk choc and top with a piece of stem ginger.

Salted chai caramel and walnut (for 25 dates) -  Bring the kettle to a boil and add a tea bag to a cup with a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, ginger. Add just enough water to cover it and set aside. Combine 30g butter, 25g light brown sugar in a pan and allow to melt. Remove from the heat and stir in 30ml cream. Strain the tea and add to the pan. Add a pinch of sea salt flakes. Set aside. Once cooled and thicker, add walnut to the middle of the date and close. Dip in milk/dark chocolate mixture and top with a walnut. using a tablespoon, spoon over the caramel mixture.

White chocolate, pistachio and dried rose petals - Add a pistachio and a milky bar button into the middle the date, Close the date and dip in white chocolate, top with crushed pistachios and dried rose petals.

Sesame seeds and Tahini - Put a ¼ teaspoon tahini into the middle of the date. Close the date and dip in dark/milk chocolate, Top with sesame seeds.

Coconut and marshmallow -  Place a mini marshmallow in the date. Close the date and dip in either the milk and dark chocolate mix or the white chocolate. Top with desiccated coconut.

Peanut butter - Place a salted peanut in the date. Close the date and dip in dark/milk chocolate mixture. Place a peanut on top.

Almond - Place an almond in the middle of the date. Close the date and dip in milk/dark chocolate. Add ground almonds to the top.

Date yoghurt

This is a light and delicious breakfast option that is both filing and healthy.  I  love to have this outside of Ramadan too.

Ingredients:

200g greek yoghurt, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 tablespoon mixed seeds/nuts/dried fruit, 3 dates pitted and chopped, 1 teaspoon cacao nibs (optional)

Directions:

Combine the yoghurt, honey and peanut butter in a small bowl and  mix well. Top with dates, seeds/nuts/fruit and cacao nibs.