These vegan stuffed Medjool dates are the perfect example of how comfort food can also be fancy, and how fancy food can also be comforting. And in many ways, this recipe in particular is a culmination of everything that I’ve learned these past couple years cooking plant-based foods.
Vegan Stuffed Medjool Dates: The Different Elements
- Carrot Bacon
It’s one of those epiphanic culinary discoveries that was as startlingly tasty as it was affirming. After tasting carrot bacon for the first time, I realized that there was so much more to plant-based cooking than I had initially thought. You don’t have to settle for munching away on lettuce like a turtle or poking around an uninteresting bowl of rice and beans.
Carrot bacon is essentially quite simple: strips of carrots marinaded briefly and then baked. But the result? It transforms these orange veggies into something that is delicious, familiar and fun, and opens an entire world of possibility, like BLT sandwiches or carrot bacon wrapped whatever. It’s one of those garnishes that pretty much enhances whatever you accompany it with, and has become one of my go-to favorites.
- Tofu Ricotta Filling
The dates themselves are stuffed with balsamic tofu ricotta, a transformation that I would not have thought tofu capable of a couple years ago. Tofu is a wondrous ingredient, and one of my missions is to dispel the myth that it’s somehow bland or boring. The truth of the matter is that tofu (store-bought, at least) is a blank slate, but for that reason it can be nearly any flavor or texture that you want it to be, if you know how to work with it.
- Pickled Jalapeño Peppers
Lastly, inside the balsamic tofu of these vegan stuffed Medjool dates are strands of pickled jalapeño peppers. I recently learned how easy it is to pickle just about anything moderately edible, and in doing so impart another layer of flavor – one that is contrastingly spicy and tart.
An Effort Worth Your While
Admittedly, these vegan stuffed Medjool dates are really quite a lot of work and have many separate moving parts to navigate and to combine into one cohesive dish, but I do think that there is value in making it, as each element (the carrot bacon, the tofu ricotta, the pickled jalapeño) has a lot to offer you in terms of realizing the full potential and possibility of plant-based cooking.
Carrot Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Medjool Dates
Equipment
- Small toothpicks
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 20 Medjool dates, pitted
For the pickled jalapeños:
- 2 jalapeno peppers, julienned into thin strips
- ½ cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
For the carrot bacon:
- 4 to 5 large carrots, peeled into long bacon-shaped strips (you'll need at least 20 strips to single wrap the dates, but 40 is best to double wrap the dates).
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the real stuff
- ¾ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the balsamic ricotta:
- ½ (7-ounces) block extra-firm or firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes
- 1 ½ tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Dash of nutmeg
For the balsamic glaze:
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Combine all the pickling liquids together in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, and bring that to a boil. Then, remove from the heat and add the strips of cut up jalapeños. After 10 minutes, transfer the jalapeño strips to an airtight jar along with the liquid and allow them to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
- Make the carrot bacon. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Peel the carrots into large strips (you'll need around 40 good strips if you're going to double-wrap), and combine the rest of the carrot bacon ingredients for the marinade. Coat the carrots in the marinade, lay them out on a prepared baking sheet (lined with silicon baking mat or parchment paper), and bake for about 15 minutes, turning once halfway (7 to 8 minutes) through the bake. You want the carrot bacon to be a little underdone. To avoid overcrowding the baking sheet, you may have to do this in two batches, if you're opting for double-wrapping the dates (40 strips).
- Make the tofu ricotta. After pressing your tofu for 30 minutes, crumble it into a food processor and add the other ingredients, and then pulse just to combine everything. You don't want a super smooth texture – a little lumpiness is okay in ricotta.
- Next, preheat the oven to 375°F. Now, with a small knife open one side of the dates up to de-pit them. Then, stuff the date with a hefty dollop (heaping teaspoon or so) of ricotta and then a strip of pickled jalapeño (or serrano). Close the date best you can around the filling, and then wrap the date in one or two strips of carrot bacon. Pin the carrot bacon to the date with a toothpick, and set on baking tray (see photo above for reference). Bake the dates for about 10 – 15 minutes, until heated through and relatively crispy.
- Meanwhile, make the balsamic glaze (or just buy some from the store to save yourself a step). In a small sauce pan, combine the balsamic vinegar, sugar and dash of salt over medium heat. Let this reduce for about 5 minutes, until the vinegar has thickened a bit. Careful not to overcook it or it will caramelize and be impossible to eat.And there you have it – vegan stuffed medjool dates. Enjoy!
Nutrition
If you enjoyed these vegan stuffed Medjool dates with tofu ricotta filling, then check out these tofu ricotta stuffed shell pasta! And if you’re crazy for everything carrots, then try a different iteration of carrots with these scrumptious vegan carrot fritters or this classic Carrot Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich!
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
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