Laguna Beach and a Date Shake

It all started when I caught the tail end of a show on Food Network last week. The host (I think her name was Rachel but I can't be sure :-), went eating around Laguna Beach for under $40. All I saw of this sojourn was her check for the day - enchilada, blah, blah, DATE SHAKE, $39.82. The words practically jumped at me. I had to try the shake rightaway. That strangely enough, happens to me often. One would think between cooking, writing a food blog and reading other food blogs, I wouldn't still think of food. But no, I do.

Most of the recipes I came across used a combination of vanilla ice cream and milk. I made a low calorie version using vanilla yogurt and the shake was still delicious. It's creamy and not too sweet, just perfect for a mid day energy boost.

So I drank it sitting in my kitchen looking out at gray skies and bare trees instead of a sandy beach with the wind in my hair, but I still loved it!

DATE SHAKE
(makes 2-3 glasses)
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
4-5 dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cold milk
a pinch of ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
finely chopped almonds to garnish, optional
ice cubes, optional

Combine dates, yogurt, milk and extract in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add cinnamon and ice if using. If the shake seems too thick adjust consistency with milk. Pulse for two-three minutes. Top with almonds and serve cold.

* Sprinkle a little flour/ fine sugar on dates while chopping so they do not stick together in a lump
* You can also use homemade yogurt; just increase the amount of extract. Or better yet use vanilla ice cream for a sinfully delicious version!

Tags: milkshake smoothie dates