Salted Caramel and Quinoa Slices

Living in the Middle East, we’re lucky that dates are cheap and plentiful. I frequently use them to create desserts and spreads because their stickiness is great for binding while their natural sweetness is a perfect substitute for processed sugar.

A friend of mine sent me a recipe to make these caramel slices and I adapted it to suit the ingredients I had in my cupboards at the time. The result was a family hit! A delicious, crunchy combination of sweetness and saltiness, my children couldn’t believe they were vegan!

To make the caramel I put the following ingredients in the Vitamix and blended on high speed to achieve a silky smooth consistency:

1 cup of de-pitted dates

¼ cup of warm water

1 tbsp almonds

1 tbsp cashew nuts

2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp tahini paste

½ cup virgin coconut oil

½ teaspoon of sea salt

I poured this mixture into a bowl and stirred through 1 cup of puffed quinoa. (I puffed my own red quinoa by following this recipe). I then lined a loaf tin with baking paper and poured the mixture in.

To make the chocolate, I thoroughly combined the following ingredients in the vitamix:

½ cup of virgin coconut oil

¼ cup of cocoa powder

¼ cup of date syrup

I poured this evenly over the caramel mix and sprinkled with sea salt. I then placed it in the fridge and left it to set for three hours before cutting it into bite size pieces….Needless to say, they didn’t last long!