When my husband, Ken and I first moved to Tennessee and purchased our land to do organic gardening and make functional pottery, we met several other artisans from other parts of the country. One of our new friends was a couple from Michigan and Kris; the wife was an amazing folk singer. She actually sang at our wedding, Beatle John Lennon’s, “All you Need is Love”.
When we had potlucks on Sunday afternoons she would often entertain us with her acoustic guitar and the lyrics of many of our favorite folk singers of the time. One of my favorite songs Kris sang was Judy Collins’ song “Cook with Honey”.
(CHORUS)
I always cook with honey
To sweeten up the night
We always cook with honey
Tell me, how's your appetite
For some sweet love
I remember hearing that song and deciding I would never cook with sugar again and only natural sweeteners of nature like honey, maple syrup and molasses. I doubt if Judy or Kris knew the impact the lyrics would have on setting my standard for sweets.
I offer you a recipe made from natural fruit, natural dates and wonderful nuts. It is not original, but this recipe is from the wholefoods.com website. My son actually found it. He was in the grocery store and noticed how fresh and delicious the pineapples looked. So he got out his smart phone and went to the Whole Foods web site and searched for pineapple recipes. So easy and completely gluten free, dairy free, egg free, sugar free dessert! Voila – delicious!
CINNAMON ROASTED PINEAPPLE WITH MACADAMIA NUT CREAM
Serves 4
The natural sweetness of pineapple and dates and the richness of macadamia nuts make this palate-pleasing dessert, but it's also something you could enjoy at breakfast—try it over hot oatmeal.
Ingredients
3/4 cup raw unsalted macadamia nuts or cashews
1/3 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup boiling water
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Method
In a small bowl, combine nuts and dates with boiling water and let soak 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange pineapple in a single layer over the paper and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast until pineapple is very tender and lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
Pour nuts, dates and soaking water into a blender and add vanilla and salt. Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender once or twice. Serve drizzled over the warm pineapple.
Nutrition
Per serving: 330 calories (170 from fat), 19g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 80mg sodium, 44g total carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 33g sugar), 3g protein
