Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I’m planning out which appetizers I’ll serve over the holidays. An easy recipe that can be pulled off in a few simple steps are these stuffed dates. The dates are filled with plant-based bacon to give it that smoky, sweet flavor and stuffed with a rich and savory cashew cheese that you can whip up yourself.

Vegan Stuffed Dates

Serves 4 to 5

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight in 2 cups of water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons white miso

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 sandwich bag

20 dates

5 strips of plant-based bacon, cut into 20 1-inch square pieces (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews.

3. Place cashews, olive oil, water, apple cider vinegar, miso, salt and pepper into a food processor. Blend for 2 minutes, pushing down the sides with a spatula. If after 2 minutes, you don’t have a creamy hummus texture, add 1 tablespoon of water and process for another minute. Place cashew cheese into a sandwich bag and place in the fridge.

4. Place 20 dates on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Using a small knife, make a small slice on the top of the date and remove and discard the pit. Push 1 piece of plant-based bacon into the slit of each date. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

5. To fill the dates, remove the bag of cashew cheese from the fridge. Slice a tip of the bag off, creating a hole for the filling. Squeeze the filling down toward the hole and fill each date with approximately 1 teaspoon of filling. Serve!

Tasty tips

(Kary Osmond is a Canadian recipe developer and former television host of the popular daytime cooking show “Best Recipes Ever.” Her easy recipes include helpful tips to guide you along the way, and her love of plant-based cooking offers healthy alternatives to some of your favorite dishes. Learn more at karyosmond.com.)

©2021 Kary Osmond. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.