June 2019 Fig Focus

California Figs Shine in Summer Salads

One of the best ways to keep your cool as summer begins is to eat foods with minimal to no oven time necessary. This is a great time to start a salad routine. Rethink the salad bowl this June with fresh tips and ideas. See our #SummerSalad section below for more details!

As you get ready for backyard BBQs and casual cookouts, we’ve got a salad that’s ready to party. Our Southwest Slaw with BBQ Ranch Dressing recipe features Sun-Maid and Orchard Choice California Figs for a lively salad with flavors South of the border. We add extra mix-ins that can either be piled up in mounds for a pretty presentation or mixed, ready-to-serve.

Southwest Slaw with California Mission Figs + BBQ Ranch Dressing Recipe

Makes 4 hearty salad bowls
 
INGREDIENTS
SMOKY CHICKPEAS

• 1 (15.5 oz.) can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (safflower, canola, or grapeseed)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

 
BARBECUE RANCH DRESSING

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce, divided
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced scallions
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill

 
SOUTHWEST SLAW

• 1 (12-oz.) Mann’s Broccoli Cole Slaw® package
• 4 ounces white cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 (13 oz.) jicama, cut into 1-inch matchsticks
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup (8 oz.) Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Mission Figs, stemmed+sliced crosswise
• 1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, cored and sliced into 2-inch strips
• 16 cherry tomatoes, sliced crosswise
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced

 
 
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
 
2. Toss chickpeas with oil, salt, chile powder, and paprika. Tumble onto lined sheet pan, jostling so they’re in a single layer. Roast for about 37 minutes. They will finish crisping as they cool.
 
3. Make the Barbecue Ranch Dressing Recipe: Whisk together the buttermilk, parsley, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, garlic, scallions, vinegar, salt, and dill until combined.
 
4. Assemble salad bowls: Toss slaw in barbecue ranch dressing. Nestle a bed of slaw into four pasta bowls. Disperse slaw ingredients among four bowls, nudging close together in mounds: cheese cubes, jicama, corn, California Figs, bell pepper, tomatoes, avocado slices, and chickpeas. Drizzle on the remaining 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce on top.

Recipe and photos by Annelies Zijderveld
 
SUN-MAID is the registered trademark of Sun-Maid Growers of California.
BLUE RIBBON ORCHARD CHOICE is the registered trademark of Valley Fig Growers.
MANN’S FAMILY FAVORITES and MANN’S BROCCOLI COLE SLAW are registered trademarks of Mann.

Swing into #SummerSalads Season with Valley Fig Growers + Mann’s

ust in time for the start of summer, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Mann’s Fresh Vegetables® on a salad extravaganza! This month you’ll get ideas that make serving salad interesting, delicious, and EASY packed full of our Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice® and Sun-Maid® California Figs, and starting with Mann’s Family Favorites® Slaws.

Several of our favorite healthy living bloggers are sharing their recipes and salad tips to make you a salad superstar. PLUS, you get a chance to win a four-pack of Mann’s Veggie Slaw Blends® and a care package of our California Figs—stay tuned to our @valleyfig Instagram feed for details! And, you can find those salad recipes over on Facebook too this month—you won’t want to miss them!

Nutrition Notes

Dementia is a rapidly growing public health problem affecting millions of people around the world. The World Health Organization recently issued recommendations that can help lower the risk of cognitive decline. While there is no cure for dementia, there are things you can do to help delay or slow onset or progression of the disease.

SOME RECOMMENDATIONS

• Engage in physical activity.  
• Stop smoking, if you do.
• Follow a Mediterranean-style diet.
• Avoid excess alcohol intake.
• Engage in cognitive training (skills your brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason and pay attention).
• Manage your weight to avoid mid-life overweight and/or obesity.
• Manage your hypertension, if you have it.
• Manage your diabetes, if you have it.

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet continues to garner recognition on many fronts. U.S. News & World Report, for the second year, ranked the Mediterranean Diet as the year’s best diet overall, as well as: Easiest Diet to Follow, Best Diet for Healthy Eating, Best Diet for Diabetes and Best Diet for Heart Health (tie).
The keys to a Mediterranean lifestyle are:

• Whole grains, fruits (such as Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid California Figs), vegetables, beans, nuts, and healthy fats (think olive oil)
• Fish and seafood
• Moderate amounts dairy, eggs, and poultry
• Low amounts of red meats and sugary foods
• Active lifestyle
• A glass of red wine, if desired