Date, Cherry, Goat Cheese Spread
Dates are one of those foods that are kind of weird… They look like nothing else you’ll find in the grocery store. But they pack a punch of chewey carameley sweetness that can’t be rivaled.
I have to admit. The only other thing I’ve ever made with dates in my life are these Bacon Wrapped Dates. Like anything wrapped in bacon, they were delicious. This time around, I wanted to make something more original with my dates.
I decided to pair them with another ingredient I rarely use, and one I use all the time. Mixing goat cheese into recipes always provides a subtle saltiness and creaminess. I threw in the chopped cherries because I’m trying to use them more and I had some on hand.
I mixed these ingredients together and threw in some almonds for texture and called it a day. No sense in messing with a good thing. I threw it all on some toasted baguette and Hubby and I had a nice little afternoon snack.
One Year Ago: Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls, Homemade Mayo, and Blueberry Salsa over Grilled Mahi Mahi
Five Years Ago: Sauteed Mushrooms
Note: Nature Delights sent me a box of medjool dates to try out and come up with a recipe to use them in.
Date, Cherry, Goat Cheese Spread
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup cherries, stemmed, pitted, and quartered
6 dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
3/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
baguette, sliced and toasted if desired
Directions:
Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl. Be sure not to over mix.
Spread onto bread or toast and enjoy!
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m so glad you posted this! Aarti’s kale salad is on my list of dishes to make, and it’s good to know that you guys enjoyed it.
I saw this on the first episode of Aarti Party and it looked so good to me! Kale is something I’ve also never worked with in our kitchen so I definitely want to give this recipe a try!
I love kale, and I was intrigued by this as well – I really want to try it now! Great picture!
I picked up all of the ingredients this morning to make the salad, and it is now sitting in my fridge waiting to be devoured for lunch. It’s GREAT! Who knew raw kale could be so good?!
Kale is one of my favorite foods but I haven’t had it raw yet. I am bookmarking this!
Wow sounds interesting! I’m very curious to try it myself. I love kale.
I saw this on Aarti Party too – looks good – glad you tried it!
I love kale and am on a new-found mango kick, so I’m sure this is absolutely wonderful 🙂
Sues
I don’t know if I could get anyone in my family to try this, but it looks so interesting! I have never tried kale, but I would like to!
I made a massaged kale salad once but it was just “eh”. I don’t think I massaged enough. But I might have to try it again, and do it the right way, since you both loved it!
I LOVE massaged kale – love, love, love it. It tastes completely different than “regular” – not as “green” if that makes sense. 🙂
I also love the next food network star. I should check out Aarti’s show since this recipe sounds like it’s right up my alley. 🙂