Guest Post + a Recipe for Mediterranean Date and Walnut Drops

Are you tired of ham and deviled eggs yet? Holidays are so funny that way, right? You look forward to that perfect holiday menu and then by the end of the day you're like "Who wants pizza?"

Or is that just me? 

Anyway, we're changing gears today regardless and here's how:

One - today's post isn't mine. It's a guest post by Meri Raffetto. Meri is a Registered Dietitian (and author of the Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies® and coauthor of Glycemic Index Cookbook for Dummies®, Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Dummies®, Restaurant Calorie Counter for Dummies®, and Calorie Counter Journal for Dummies®. Whew. That's a mouthful! To learn more about Meri visit her blog at www.3tomatoes.net.)

Two - today's recipe, while in my favorite category of Desserts, isn't one of my typical baked goods (even though Lent is over, I will remain focused on my less processed approach to eating).

So please welcome Meri and her recipe!

***

from Meri...

If you haven’t heard the media buzz…the Mediterranean diet is the next best thing since sliced bread. The reason you’re seeing it in the headlines is because of a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine directly linking this way of eating with a decrease in heart disease for high risk individuals. This study shows that the Mediterranean diet decreases risk of a cardiac event as well or even better than medications.

The traditional Mediterranean style of eating is based on research from rural areas in the region 60 years ago. This isn’t a traditional “diet” the way we think of in the U.S. The people in this region simply used the foods they grew seasonally or could get from the sea; fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, lentils, olives and seafood. They had to use what was available to them and so, became masters at flavor combinations.

This idea of flavor combinations is what I love most about this style of eating. You just don’t find boring, tasteless recipes from this region. Even desserts were often made of simple fruits and nuts (what they had on hand) with smaller amounts of sugar than you’d find in modern day store bought desserts. This is an important attribute for me because I have a pretty significant sweet tooth handed down from my mother and grandmother. I love creating simple “sweets” that curb the craving and also provide some healthy ingredients at the same time. Sort of a win-win.

This recipe for Date and Walnut Drops is one of those recipes. If you enjoy the simple combination of fruits and nuts like me then you’ll love this recipe and it’s so easy you can use it any time you need to curb your sweet tooth!

Date and Walnut Drops

 Prep time: 10 min     Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients

24 dates

24 almonds or walnut halves

½ cup sugar

Zest of 1 orange

Grated dark chocolate (optional)

 Directions

1. Cut each date lengthwise and remove and discard the seed. Stuff each date with 1 almond or walnut.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest. Gently roll the stuffed dates in the sugar. If you have a craving for chocolate, sprinkle some grated dark chocolate over the top and serve.

Per serving: Calories 109 (From Fat 24); Fat 3g (Saturated Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg; Carbohydrate  23g (Dietary Fiber 2g); Protein 1g.

Check out these 5 lunch and dinner Mediterranean recipes http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/lunch-or-dinner-entrees-on-the-mediterranean-diet.html

(Recipe from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Dummies, Wiley Publishing, Nov 2011. Photograph by www.lovejoyphotographer.com)