This recipe has been adapted from Cathy Fisher's fabulous site, www.straightupfood.com. Check her out; she works for Dr. John McDougall and also teaches cooking classes at True North. She's in the know!! Her recipes are all SOS - sugar, oil and salt free.

3/4 cp water
6 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cp raw cashews or pecans
2 cps old-fashioned oats, ground into flour
1 cp old-fashioned oats
3 T ground flax seeds
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 T fresh orange juice
3 tsp orange zest
1/2 ripe banana, well mashed
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cp raisins
3/4 cp chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place dates and cashews or pecans together in bowl with warm water to soak and soften for 30 minutes.

Combine all of the dry ingredients (from ground oats through cloves) in a large bowl and mix well with fork. Then combine the wet ingredients (orange juice through vanilla) in another bowl. Blend the dates, cashews and their water in a blender until smooth. Then add them to the wet ingredients, and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well. Add the raisins and chopped nuts. If batter is too dry, add a little water.

Place a rounded tablespoon of dough on the baking sheet and pressw down lightly with a fork. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes on the middle rack until lightly browned. Cool slightly in pan and then set cookies on cooling rack.