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Date Bars from the PlantPure Nation Cookbook

plantpure-Date-BarsI like to bring whole food, plant-based refreshments when I give local talks. I typically just lay them out and don't highlight the fact that they don't have added sugar, or eggs, or dairy, or bacon, or whatever else the young people are putting into their treats these days.

At the end of the talk, I do my reveal: “Did you enjoy the cookies/brownies/date bars etc.?” (Always ask first, in case they sucked.)

Then I casually mention how healthy they are, and that it's possible to eat really well without sacrificing pleasure.

At a recent talk, I prepared Date Bars from Kim Campbell's PlantPure Nation Cookbook. I had so many attendees ask for the recipe, I contacted Kim and her publisher (also my publisher for WHOLE and The Low Carb Fraud, so we're all friennds :)) and asked for permission to share it.

Permission granted.

So here goes:

Ingredients

  • Date Bars (makes 12 bars)
  • 2 c instant oatmeal
  • 4 T agave nectar, divided
  • 1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
  • 9 T water, divided
  • 1/2 t ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1/4 t sea salt
  • 1 pound pitted medjool dates, chopped
  • 3 T chopped walnuts
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1 t almond extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix the oatmeal, 3 T agave, applesauce, 4 T water, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. This should have a thick consistency.
  3. Firmly press half the oatmeal mixture into the prepared pan. Reserve the remaining oatmeal crumbles for the top.
  4. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the dates, walnuts, remaining 1 T agave, remaining 5 T water, lemon juice, and almond extract, stirring constantly until thickened, about 10 minutes.
  5. Spread the thickened date mixture evenly over the oatmeal crumble mixture using a spatula. Top with the remaining oat mixture and press lightly.
  6. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes.
  7. Cool thoroughly and cut into 12 bars.

Ingredient Notes

Medjool dates can be pricey; I get mine at Costco, two pounds for $9. Parchment paper is amazing, especially for those of us who dislike scrubbing pans. If you don't have instant oatmeal, you can make it from regular rolled oats by putting them in a blender or food processor and pulsing for a few seconds.

Note: the photo shows the “extra fancy” version that includes a drizzle of powdered sugar and water. It photographs great, but is not necessary for wowing the heck out of your omnivorous friends. I left it out and nobody complained. (Or even realized, to be fair.)

Enjoy! And get the entire cookbook here.

Dr Howie Jacobson

This podcast is a labor of love and a way to give back to the world that has given me so much. That's why there aren't any sponsors (except me :).

My day job is helping leaders and their teams master their mindsets to remove all obstacles to heart-centered high performance.

Here are three gigs that I do:

1. Executive and Senior Leadership Mentoring and Facilitation

I work with high performing executive teams in organizations — and executive teams that need to become high  performing. My focus is mindset mastery, because it’s our mindsets that either support high performance or get in the way.

At this level, everyone’s got the skills and experience to excel and contribute at the highest level. What holds people back is mindset stuff: specifically the triggers that get them out of creative engagement and into fight-or-flight defensiveness.

My practice is all about teaching people to respond differently to those triggers by updating old maps — essentially removing the glitches that the triggers grab onto.

2. Executive Coaching: Quick Wins for High Performance

I work with individual executives and leaders, one on one. The program is called Quick Wins for High Performance, and what we do is, we work strategically on one or two areas that are holding you back and keeping you from performing at your best.

We reverse engineer the presenting problems — too much work and not enough time, underperforming employees and teams, maddening organizational inefficiencies, etc — and identify and rewire the suboptimal mindsets that are behind those problems.

The work is all about updating your mental maps so your actions and responses are always appropriate, proportionate, and strategic.

3. High Stakes Conversations for Fast Growing Small Business Teams

I help small business teams have high stakes conversations with skill, humor, and grace. When people feel safe, they can do their best, most creative, most collaborative work.

So that's what I do. If you'd like any of those results, drop me a line and tell me about yourself.

You CAN Change Other People!

Well, that's what Peter Bregman and I claim in our provocative book of that title.

What we really mean is, you can bring out the best in the people around you. If you think you're powerless to help people change, it's because you've been going about it the wrong way.

Discover our straightforward, replicable process here: You Can Change Other People.

 

Music

The Plant Yourself Podcast theme music, “Dance of Peace (Sabali Don),” is generously provided by Will Ridenour, a kora player from North Carolina who has trained with top Senegalese musicians.

It can be found on his first CD, titled Will Ridenour.

You can learn about Will, listen to more tracks, and buy music on his website, WillRidenour.com.

Gratitudes

Thanks to Plant Yourself podcast patrons – Kim Harrison – Lynn McLellan – Brittany Porter – Dominic Marro – Barbara Whitney – Tammy Black – Amy Good – Amanda Hatherly – Mary Jane Wheeler – Ellen Kennelly – Melissa Cobb – Rachel Behrens – Tina Scharf – Tina Ahern – Jen Vilkinofsky – David Byczek – Michele X – Elspeth Feldman – Leah Stolar – Allan Kristensen – Colleen Peck – Michele Landry – Jozina – Sara Durkacs – Kelly Cameron – Janet Selby – Claire Adams – Tom Fronczak – Jeannette Benham – Gila Lacerte – David Donohue – Blair Seibert – Doron Avizov – Gio and Carolyn Argentati – Jodi Friesner – Mischa Rosen – Michael Worobiec – AvIvA Lael – Alicia Lemus – Val Linnemann – Nick Harper – Bandana Chawla – Molly Levine – The Inscrutable Harry R – Susan Laverty the Panda Vegan – Craig Covic – Adam Scharf – Karen Bury – Heather Morgan – Nigel Davies – Marian Blum – Teresa Kopel – Julian Watkins – Brid O'Connell – Shannon Herschman – Linda Ayotte – Holm Hedegaard – Isa Tousignant – Connie Haneline – Erin Greer – Alicia Davis – Heather O'Connor – Carollynne Jensen – Sheri Orlekoski of Plant Powered for Health – Karen Smith – Scott Mirani – Karen and Joe Crabtree – Kirby Burton – Theresa Carrell – Kevin Macaulay – Elizabeth Rothschild – Ann Jesse – Sheryl Dwyer – Jenny Hazelton – Peter W Evans – Dennis Bird – Darby Kelly – Lori Fanney – Linnea Lundquist – Emily Iaconelli – Levi Wallach – Rosamonde McAtee – Dan Pokorney – Stephen Leinin – Patty DeMartino – Mike and Donna Kartz – Deanne Bishop – Bilberry Elf – Marjorie Lewis – Tricia Adams – Nancy Sheldon – Lindsey Bashore – Gunn Marit Hagen – Tracey Gulledge – Lara Hedin – Meg from Mamasezz – Stacey Stokes – Ben Savage – Michael K – David Hughes -Coni Rodgers – Claire England – Sally Robertson – Parham Ganchi – Amy Dailey – Brian Tourville – Mark Jeffrey Johnson – Josie Dempsey – Caryn Schmitt – Pamela Hayden – Emily Perryman – Allison Corbett – Richard Stone – Lauren Vaught of Edible Musings – Erin Hastey – Sean Owens – Sagar Naik – Erika Piedra – Danielle Roberts – Michael Leuchten – Sarah Johnson – Katharine Floyd – Meryl Fury – for your generous support of the podcast.

Disclosure

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1 comment on “Date Bars from the PlantPure Nation Cookbook

  1. Carole Kapsner says:

    Date bars leave something to be desired, namely CRUNCH.

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