Adapted from Whole Foods Market Recipes

Sweet cherries get a flavorful topping made from dates, almonds and nutritious chia seeds. This is a superb fresh dessert, yet is healthful enough to serve for snacks.

Cook’s Review:  “Excellent!  Has sweetness and flavor, but not heavy.  Fresh cherries were not available, so I used frozen dark unsweetened cherries (three 12-oz. bags).  I also added a 1/2 cup of NOW flaked coconut to the topping, because we like coconut and it added another dimension of texture.  Extremely easy to make.  Took 15 minutes after I thawed the cherries.” 

~ Shari L.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds (about 8 cups) cherries, pitted and quartered

1/2 teaspoon NOW Organic Vanilla Extract*

3 tablespoons orange juice, divided

1 cup pitted dates

3/4 cup NOW Natural Almonds*

1/3 cup NOW Chia Seeds*

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

*NOW items available at your local health food store

1. Toss cherries with vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the orange juice.
2. Spoon into an 8-inch-square dish and smooth the top.
3. In a food processor, combine dates, almonds, chia seeds and cinnamon and process until coarsely ground.
4. Pour in remaining 1 tablespoon orange juice and pulse until combined.
5. Spoon chia mixture evenly over the top of the cherries and serve, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.

Calories: 220
Calories from Fat: 70
Total Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 0 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 38 g
Dietary Fiber: 8 g
Sugars: 27 g
Protein: 5 g