Valentine's Day is coming up, and you know what that means...
(besides the fact that I'm turning 25 on the 13th... )
Treats are everywhere!
Conversation hearts, chocolates, heart shaped boxes full of more chocolates, and did I mention chocolate?
This year, why not break the mold by using a different kind of, well, mold.
Wanna Date? Tropical Hearts Edition
Dates are back in this tropical larabar inspired Valentine's day treat. Why not throw some healthy, seasonal fare into the mix? I guarantee there will be plentyof chocolate available elsewhere :-)
Ingredients
1 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped cashews
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBSP shredded coconut
Directions
1. Roughly chop dates. Throw into blender/food processor with raisins and coconut/orange extract. Pulse until paste forms (may need to scrape the sides of the blender).
2. Scrape paste into bowl/onto cutting board/plate.
3. Pour cashews (or nuts of choice), cinnamon, and coconut into the food processor. Pulse until nuts are finely chopped pieces.
4. Pour nut mix onto plate/cutting board with date mix. Knead together w/ your hands until mixed. Mold into small balls, or add a Valentine's day twist:
Mold mixture into heart shaped ice cube tray :-).
5. Let the hearts sit in the fridge for a bit (I came back after an hour but they're pretty solidified at baseline).
Then remove from tray and enjoy!
Hubby says these taste like a pina colada! Win :-)
Off to spend some time with my Valentine and finally watch Sunday's episode of Glee!
(p.s. Sorry I've been a terrible blogger/blog reader recently- I'm so busy on this rotation and thinking about my new research project! Hopefully things will settle down next month so please bear with me)