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seasoning mixture. Add the remaining ¼ cup of orange juice to the pan. Return the chicken to the oven, and cook for another 15 minutes.
    â€¢ NOTE This dish freezes well. Wrap individual chicken pieces in foil to freeze. To use, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and reheat.
    YIELD 4 servings
    NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 174 calories, 11 g carbohydrate, 27.6 g protein, 1.7 g fat, 0.5 g dietary fiber
14 Dates
Benefits
    Archaeologists have found evidence that date palm trees were being cultivated in eastern Arabia as long as 8,000 years ago. Such a long agricultural history has allowed many varieties of dates to be developed, in three main types: soft, semi-dry, and dry. All three types are relatively low in water content. However, dates that have been allowed to ripen and dry on the tree lose most of the vitamin C that is present in fresh dates that are harvested before drying. Although dates are grown throughout the Middle East and are a major export of Iraq, they are also grown in California and Arizona—primarily the medjool, which is a soft date, and the deglet noor, a semi-dry.
    Dates are very sweet, with one 24-gram medjool date providing 66 calories and almost 16 grams of sugar. The smaller deglet noor, at 7 grams, is still more than half sugar by weight.
    A 2008 summary of research on dates showed that they are a significant source of ten minerals, including selenium, copper, potassium, and magnesium—and that 100 grams of dates would provide over 15 percent of the recommended daily allowance for them. The review also found that dates are a good source of antioxidants, primarily carotenoids and phenolics. In addition to the four minerals listed above, dates contain boron, calcium, cobalt, fluoride, iron, phosphorus, sodium, and zinc, as well as 23 types of amino acids, which is unusual for a fruit. Unfortunately, many of the dates’ proteins are in the seeds, not the flesh, so it may take new and creative uses of the seeds for dates to realize their role as an ideal food.
    NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION Five dried dates with pits removed provide 114 calories, 30 g carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 0 g fat, 3 g dietary fiber, 21 IU vitamin A, 0.9 mg niacin, 5 mcg folic acid, 1 mg sodium, 270 mg potassium, 13 mg calcium, 16 mg phosphorus, and 14 mg magnesium.
Bringing It Home
    Choose dates that have not been treated with sulfur dioxide. Rinse them well and pat dry before consuming or using them in a recipe. They can be stored either at room temperature or in the refrigerator for longer life.
    Livit Recipe
Lean Date Squares
    2 cups dates, chopped and pitted
    1 cup orange juice
    1 teaspoon orange zest
    2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
    Â½ cup whole wheat flour
    Â½ cup wheat germ
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    Â¼ teaspoon baking soda
    Â½ teaspoon salt
    Â½ cup honey
    Â½ cup safflower oil or other light oil
    â€¢ In a saucepan, combine the dates with the orange juice and zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the dates are very soft. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
    â€¢ Preheat oven to 350°F.
    â€¢ In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
    â€¢ In a smaller bowl, combine the honey and oil. Strain the liquid from the cooked date mixture into the honey and oil, making sure to get as much liquid from the dates as possible. Combine thoroughly.
    â€¢ In a separate bowl, mash the dates until smooth.
    â€¢ Add the liquids to the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Press two thirds of the oat and honey dough into a 9” × 9” cake pan. Spread the mashed date filling over it. Gently pat the remaining oat and honey mixture evenly on top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned.
    â€¢ NOTE Use prepared orange zest or see Add Zest! on page 34.
    YIELD 24 bars
    NUTRITION ANALYSIS PER SERVING 150 calories, 25.6 g carbohydrate, 2.2 g protein, 5.4 g fat, 2.5 g