California Figs Make It Great
Moroccan Sweet Potato & California Fig Salad
Our delicious hearty salad, featuring Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid California Figs, can be made a day ahead and allowed to marinate in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Instead of individual servings, you can arrange the salad on a platter over a bed of baby spinach or arugula leaves. Keep Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice and Sun-Maid California Figs handy on the shelf for your recipe and snack needs. Our California Figs are super easy to buy at http://shop.valleyfig.com/.
California Fig dressing ingredients.
Add California Figs to dressing.
Prepare sweet potatoes for roasting.
Salad ingredients and California Fig Dressing.
Serve in a cabbage or lettuce leaf.
Moroccan Sweet Potato and California Fig Salad
Serves 6.
California Fig Dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/3 to ½ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 cup Blue Ribbon® Orchard Choice® or Sun-Maid® California Figs, stemmed and sliced
Salad:
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- 1 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup pitted, sliced or chopped green olives
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, mint or combination
- 6 large cabbage or lettuce leaves
Whisk together all dressing ingredients except olive oil, garlic and figs. Whisk in oil. Stir in figs and garlic. Set aside for one hour or chill for up to overnight.
For salad, preheat oven to 400°. Line a large, rimmed baking pan with foil or parchment. Toss sweet potato cubes with oil and spread on pan. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
For salad, in a large bowl, combine roasted potatoes with bell pepper, red onion, olives and parsley. Remove garlic clove from fig dressing and discard. Add fig dressing to salad ingredients and toss gently.
To serve, spoon salad into cabbage or lettuce leaves.
Lorelle Del Matto, MS, RDN, is a nutrition and culinary professional who combines a passion for food (and California Figs) with a quest for nutrition knowledge. She believes well designed and tested recipes can be great communication tools. Lorelle has a Master’s of Science in nutrition biology and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. Lorelle developed her culinary skills in France at La Varenne, Ecole de Cuisine. You can find more recipes and healthy lifestyle tips to inspire you to “savor the art of healthy eating” on her website lorelledelmatto.com and on Twitter and Facebook.
Make Dinner Effortless with California Figs
Labor Day signifies a shift in seasons, doesn’t it? Before we head into autumn, there’s still time to come up with a game plan for making effortless healthy dinners that your whole family will love and are simple enough for weeknights. We turned to some of our figgy friends for inspiration. Katy Keck’s got you covered with her how-to tips for pulling together a themed potluck and recipe for Chipotle California Fig Fajitas. Good Dinner Mom’s got Balsamic Pork Chops with California Figs on the menu that you can make on the stovetop (or Instant Pot)!
Stay tuned to our Facebook page for a skillet dinner perfect for meatless Mondays, a new way to dress up chicken thighs, and a dinner / dessert combo crafted with California Figs for a Facebook Live event with food blogger Dessert for Two that you won’t want to miss!
Bonus, here’s an easy breakfast or snack of California Fig Parfaits with Crunchy Buckwheat Topping video. Cotter Crunch shows you how to whip up what will quickly become your favorite way to wake up.
Chipotle California Fig Fajitas — Photo by Katy Keck
Nutrition Tips and Tid-Bits
Breakfast Brings a Bright Start to the Day
Back to school means back to regularly eating breakfast—it’s a great idea for young and old alike. Here’s how to get started.
Start With Some Protein—It Packs a Lasting Punch
Choose lean protein: eggs, Canadian bacon, deli meats, nonfat or low fat plain yogurt, and peanut butter on whole-wheat toast. Get creative and come up with your own lean protein combinations. Mozzarella cheese sticks, almonds and a snack pack of Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs.
Grab Some Fruits (and Vegetables)
Whole, sliced, chopped, blended, dried and fresh. However you and the kids like your fruits and veggies, make them a key part of breakfast. Find veggies a stretch for breakfast? Toss them into smoothies and the kids (and you) will never know the difference.
Add Nutrient-Rich Whole Grains
Whole grains provide an extra nutrition punch. They have more fiber and nutrients for longer lasting energy. Serve whole-grain cereals with nuts and California Figs on top. Or how about whole-grain breads, homemade breakfast bars, muffins, and waffles to get ready for a busy day?
Make the Pledge
Breakfast every day! Plan or pack breakfast the night before. Keep it simple. A bowl of lower sugar, whole grain cereal topped with chopped almonds and California Figs. Trail mix and a carton of nonfat yogurt with chopped figs. A slice of veggie pizza or frittata, a breakfast burrito, or a Naturally Sweet Fig-Almond Muffin. So many great ways to start the day off right.
