What To Do With Fresh Figs - Enjoy Them Now But Freeze Some For Later! Plus Recipe For Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Figs are high in dietary fiber, potassium,
magnesium, and vitamin B6.

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It's Time for Figs
Our neighbor's fig tree and our fig tree are both presenting us with heavenly sweet figs. Unfortunately figs are so perishable and have such a short season, most people have very little time to enjoy this magnificent fruit.

A few years ago we planted a Janice Seedless Kadota fig. It's a fairly new breed of white fig that is exceptionally sweet and has very few seeds. It had a slow start because we decided to move it to a new location,  but it is now starting to produce very lovely figs.

Janice Seedless Kadota Fig

Ways to Enjoy Fresh Figs
Besides popping them in your mouth, diced figs are wonderful in a morning fruit salad or sliced and tossed in a green salad.

Add diced figs to your breakfast fruit salad.

Add sliced figs to your green salads.

They also make a wonderful fig balsamic vinaigrette.

Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/2 packed cup chopped, ripe figs
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons cold-pressed hemp oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cold filtered water, or more
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients into a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, and blend until smooth. If it's too thick, add more water or some almond milk.

Fig balsamic vinaigrette.

Freeze Some to make Smoothes and Soups All Year Long
One of my favorite things to do with figs is to add them to my smoothies. They thicken and sweeten any smoothie recipe, like this Raw Vegan and Gluten-Free Apple Pear Green Smoothie.

Or use them to add sweetness to a blended soup recipe, like this Raw Vegan and Gluten-Free Butternut Squash Soup with Fresh Figs.

In order to enjoy figs in your smoothies or soups all year long, vacuum seal them.
First, wash and dry the figs. Cut them in half and place them on a cookie sheet.
Place in the freezer.

Freeze on cookie sheet

Once the figs are frozen, vacuum seal them using a product like FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer. Our figs last in the freezer for an entire year when properly sealed. And if your fig tree is as prolific as most, you'll have plenty to save!

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Fresh Figs With Arugula And Romaine - Raw Vegan And Gluten Free

This delicious raw salad uses very nutritious greens.

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Figs, Finally!
My friend and neighbor has the most wonderful fig tree. By the end of the summer we are usually swimming in big, juicy figs. This summer, for some reason, they never came. But yesterday, after much anticipation, I received a big bowl of this delicious fruit! If you are lucky enough to have access to local, fresh figs, here's a lovely salad to make with them.

You many remember my article on selecting salad greens that showed how arugula and romaine lettuce were among the most nutritious of all salad greens. This salad uses a combination of both.

Fresh Figs with Arugula and Romaine Lettuce
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[4 servings or 2 large entree-size servings]

For the salad dressing
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon raw honey or agave nectar *
1/4 teaspoon salt


For the salad
4 ounces baby arugula (4 handfuls)
Small head, hearts of romaine lettuce (8 ounces)
2 large fresh figs, cut vertically into 8 wedges
1/2 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup raw English walnuts
Freshly ground black pepper


* I think the honey in this recipe tastes better than the agave nectar but for vegans who avoid honey, you can make it with agave.

Make the salad dressing by combining all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until they are well combined.

To make the salad, clean the greens and chop the romaine lettuce into bite-size pieces. 

Place the arugula, romaine lettuce and fig wedges in a large bowl. Add the desired amount of salad dressing and toss until well coated.

Divide the salad onto 2 to 4 plates. Top with the avocado slices and walnuts. Top with freshly ground black pepper, if desired, and serve.

Per serving (4 servings): 168 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 819 mg omega-3 and 3511 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 3 g protein, 24 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber and 161 mg sodium.

Vegan Butternut Squash Soup With Fresh Figs - Gluten Free, Low Calorie And Low Fat

Big mugs are a convenient way to serve soup

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Happy November!
I can't believe November is here already. This is the month of my FAVORITE holiday - Thanksgiving! So you'll be seeing lots of recipes preparing us for that wonderful feast. It's also time for warming foods as the weather turns cold. What's better than hot soup?


The Last of the Figs
I never know what's available where you live but we are finally seeing some figs here in northern California. I'm going to put some in the freezer so that I can make this soup later in the month. I haven't tried making this with dried figs. I would imagine they would need to be rehydrated for hours and cooked longer than the fresh ones. If anyone gives that a try, please send in a comment. Another thought is to substitute the figs with another sweet fruit like chopped apples or ripe pears if you cannot find them. I hope you have access to some fresh figs because they pair beautifully with the butternut squash.

We had a very cool summer so figs were very late this year

Low in Fat
Most recipes begin with cooking the onions in oil but that's really not necessary. If you are trying to eliminate excess fat in your diet, you can just cook the onions in the broth along with the other ingredients. To get a touch of fat on the palate, I stir in a teaspoon of Earth Balance right before serving. This adds less than a gram of fat to each serving. If you are going totally fat free, you can eliminate the Earth Balance completely.
I'm not a believer in living fat free. It's good to reduce unnecessary fat. Especially if you are trying to loose weight or reverse cardiovascular disease. But dietary fat is important, especially omega-3 fatty acids found in flaxseeds or wild salmon, or other good fats found in avocados, nuts and seeds. Many of our important vitamins such as A, D, E and K are fat soluble and need dietary fat to be best utilized in the body.

Freeze figs when in season so you use them in winter dishes

Add fresh figs in the last 10 minutes of cooking

Blend soup until smooth but don't over process

Stir in a teaspoon of earth balance at the very end

Butternut Squash with Fresh Figs
Vegan, Gluten Free
[serves 4]


5 cups veggie broth
5 cups cubed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 packed cup chopped fresh figs
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Pinch or two of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Earth Balance vegan buttery spread (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste


In a 5 quart Dutch oven, add broth, butternut squash and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes or until squash is tender.
Add figs, salt and cayenne and cook another 10 minutes.
Put soup in a blender and process until smooth but don't over process.
Return mixture to the pot. Adjust salt, if needed, and stir in lemon juice.
Stir in 1 teaspoon of Earth balance. (If you want a fat free soup, you can skip this step)
Serve in 4 small bowls or mugs and top with fresh thyme and freshly ground black pepper.


Per serving (with Earth Balance): 161.3 calories, 0.9 g fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.0 g protein, 38.2 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g dietary fiber and 861 mg sodium. 

Per serving (without Earth Balance): 153 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.0 g protein, 38.2 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g dietary fiber and 851 mg sodium.