Medium | Servings: 32 | Ready In: 30 minutes | Yield: about 4 cups Smoky, sweet, this barbecue sauce is a must-have for the foodies in the house. Dates, apple, and sweet onion provide healthy, plant-based sweetness in place of refined sugar or syrup. Use this as a base for Chipotle Baked Beans or slather it over Southwestern Black Bean Burgers for the ultimate summer dinner. Ingredients 1 sweet apple, diced 1 sweet onion, diced 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder 1 teaspoon sweet paprika 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 8 pitted deglet noor dates 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon yellow mustard 2 cups water 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (optional) 1/4 teaspoon salt How It’s Done: To make the Chipotle Barbecue Sauce: Place the apple and onion in a dry sauté pan over high heat. Cover and cook until they turn brown, about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes Add the chipotle powder and paprika and cook until aromatic, about 2 more minutes. Once the onions and apples are caramelized (they should be the brown color of caramel), add the tomato paste and “singe” (let it brown) as well, a couple of minutes. The tomato paste will turn a dark, brick-red color when it “singes” (aka “caramelizes”). Add the cider vinegar to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Cook for 2 minutes, until vinegar has mostly evaporated. Add the dates, garlic, mustard, and 2
