Before we get into describing this recipe, let’s address the appearance. It isn’t the most aesthetically appealing recipe that will take your breath away. Have you heard of the food concept “ugly delicious,” though? The idea behind this is that not every dish has to be visually stunning in order to impress your taste buds. Such is the case for this date roll, which comes together in under 30 minutes.

A date roll is essentially a tightly rolled log of nuts, dates, seeds, and other dried fruit, depending on the recipe. Roll it up in plastic wrap, freeze it for about 30 minutes, and then remove to enjoy. It’s like a stick of salami, only this has much less sodium and actually provides the body with essential nutrients. This recipe is 100% raw vegan, so all of the nuts are raw and dates are free of added sugars and preservatives. Because the main ingredient of this recipe is the dates, try to use high quality Medjool dates.

If your dates are mushy, they won’t roll properly. Dates that are too dry or dense may require soaking in water for five minutes. Unlike energy bite recipes, you don’t need to blend all of the ingredients together in a food processor. Finely chop the dates as best you can with your knife. If it’s easier to blitz them in the food processor, you can go that route. Chop up the nuts and mix them together with the dates, seeds, raisins, cardamom, and coconut oil. Roll it all up, freeze, and then you can slice into pieces for healthy snacking!