Date and Pecan “Ice Cream”
🕒 Prep Time: 10 min | 🕒 Chill Time: 30 min | 🕒 Total Time: 45 min
🍽️ Servings: 2 - 3
Ingredients:
1 cup cottage cheese (I use Lactaid cottage cheese due to lactose issues)
3 - 4 soft dates, pitted
¼ - ½ cup raw pecans, unsalted
1 tsp raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
Instructions:
Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor using short pulses until thick and slightly chunky. Blend for a longer time if you want your pecan and date bits to be smaller.
Transfer to a lidded, glass container.
Now, this is where instructions vary. If you intend to eat it in its entirety in one sitting, I’d recommend chilling it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. However, if you want to be able to pull it out over a few days to have a quick, healthy snack, I’d leave it in the fridge. If left in the freezer too long, it will become very hard and you’ll have to leave it out to soften.
💚The Healthy Bit: Pecans 💚
Thanks to their high levels of monounsaturated fats, specifically oleic acid, and antioxidants, pecans promote heart health by lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol and triglycerides and reducing inflammation. Pecans are also low on the glycemic index so do not cause rapid blood sugar spikes. In addition, they are high in good fat and fiber so can help you feel full faster and longer.
As with most nuts, pecans are calorie-dense. A standard serving size is one ounce, or about 20 halves. Due to their high fat content, moderate consumption is recommended as part of a balanced diet.
