A couple of years ago in a quest to find an eating plan to negate the rich cuisine and fabulous beer we were enjoying a little too much in Germany, I stumbled upon something called the Primal Blueprint. It’s a variation of sorts on the Paleo Diet; however, unlike strict Paleo, it allows some rice and a little high fat dairy. Both plans stress “real food” and restrict consumption of grains, legumes, and refined sugars. As with most restrictive eating programs, I wasn’t very successful, but my husband was and continues the program to this day.
I believe the Primal Blueprint is a good program for a lot of people, my husband included, and I try to be very supportive of his new, healthier eating habits. It probably doesn’t hurt me to cut back on carbohydrates either. Eliminating most grains and legumes (what no sandwiches?) proved to be a challenge. Although we have always tried to limit processed food, I was clearly in the “no fat, whole grains” camp, and this was a complete switch. It was also a great excuse to add to my ever-expanding cookbook collection.
I read every Primal and Paleo cooking blog I could find online and eventually figured out on whom I could probably rely for some decent recipes, while I learned to plan menus around this new eating style. Everyday Paleo quickly became one of my favorites. One of the first books I bought was this one, and one of the first Paleo recipes I made was dates stuffed with sausage and wrapped in bacon. I wish I could take credit for this recipe. One bite and I was hooked. I have yet to meet anyone who does not like this recipe, Paleo follower or not.
Dates with Sausage and Bacon
12 pieces
We have found that Medjool dates work best for this recipe, but if you can’t find them any other type will do. If they are considerably smaller, you will need more dates and more bacon than the recipe calls for. This recipe doubles or even triples easily, a good thing since it’s so addicting.
12 dates
1/2 pound bulk sausage
6 slices bacon, sliced in half crosswise
Preheat the oven to 375.
Pit the dates if necessary, by slicing them lengthwise halfway through and removing the seeds.
Use about a tablespoon of sausage per date, more or less depending on the size of your dates. Stuff the sausage into the date, wrapping the date around the sausage ball. The dates will not close around the sausage completely.
Wrap each date in one of the half slices of bacon and stand up in a baking dish small enough to hold the dates upright. Depending on the number of dates you are preparing a small to medium Pyrex works great for this, but you could also bake them in a pie pan.
Bake dates for 40 minutes. These can be prepared ahead of time, frozen, and rewarmed in the microwave for 1.5 minutes. It’s great to have a stash in the freezer for unexpected guests.
Slightly adapted from Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso