We were on the lookout for a good on-the-go breakfast item when Mr. He Cleans ran across an Alton Brown recipe for Seedy Date Bars. The name of the recipe, I have to admit, is awesome just by itself – but not as awesome as the tasty and healthy ingredient list.
Well, of course I wanted to make them immediately, but didn’t have the 5 different types of seeds that were called for. I did have a lot of nuts, so I adapted Mr. Brown’s recipe to create a version that is both nutty and seedy. I mean, isn’t your favorite bar a bit nutty and seedy? (Are we still talking about food here?)
I had walnuts and pecans on hand, but I think most other nuts would work as well. The original recipe called for pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, so swap those in as you’d like – but keep the proportions the same (nuts/seeds vs fruits). You can also substitute another dried fruit for the apricots, but the dates are essential to the consistency. Please note: a food processor is a must-have for this in order to blend the dates and apricots into a paste.
Ingredients (makes 8 x 8-inch pan, 12 bars)
One new, one old for today’s musical menu. First up, its the first album from 6 String Drag in 15 years, Roots Rock ‘N’ Roll
. Kenny Roby and crew were the darlings of the No Depression crowd back in the day, and years haven’t slowed them down at all. From the wry “Kingdom of Gettin’ It Wrong” to “Sylvia”, it’s a welcome return from North Carolina’s favorite sons.
I hadn’t listened to Calexico in years, but when Jason Isbell tweeted his admiration for Feast of Wire, I revisited the legendary Southwest rockers. And Isbell was right…this is a masterpiece. A combination of Tex-Mex, alt-country and a spaghetti western soundtrack, it’s a mesmerizing listen.