The Fantastic Fig!

Figs are a delicious addition to a raw diet and are a great staple to have handy in the pantry.  We mainly see figs available as a dried fruit (sun-dried and sulphur free please), due to the poor ability of them to be transported any distance fresh.

When dried, they are a great source of natural carbohydrates, fibre, and contain many alkalising minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium.  They are actually a very good source of calcium, containing about double the amount found in whole milk, gram for gram!  And we all know that milk is marketed as being high in calcium…

Figs are very sweet and make a great snack on their own, or with some nuts or other fresh fruit.  They also incorporate nicely into many dessert recipes or can be chopped into an innovative style of salad.

I found this Fig Pecan Bar recipe at www.drbenkin.com

3 cups raw pecans
1.5 cups soaked dried figs with stems removed
1.5 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Be sure to allow dried figs to soak in water for 1-2 hours before preparing this recipe.

Drain figs and combine them with raw pecans and pure vanilla extract in a food processor. Process until figs and pecans are well combined to form a moist granola bar-like texture. You may need to pause the food processor once or twice to scrape ingredients off the sides of the processor so that you are not left with big chunks of figs and pecans.

Transfer homogenized figs and pecans to a baking dish or tray and press down gently with a spatula until mixture is approximately 2-3 cm thick. Use a knife to cut into rectangular or square bars.

Put baking dish or tray in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or the freezer for about 20 minutes to allow the bars to take form.

Enjoy these delicious and nutrient-dense fig-pecan energy bars!

Leisa