Banana Bread with Fresh Figs

It's very rare for me to meet a carb that I don't thoroughly enjoy. Who am I kidding... I have NEVER met a carb that I don't love! Pasta, breads, baked goods.... bring it. That is why me going on a no carb diet is very very disheartening. But, it is summertime and sometimes these things must be done because bikinis must be worn.

The upside? Lots of healthy carb free recipes coming your way. 

The downside. Well, everything that has to do with me and my own quality of life. 

Sigh. But, since I will not be starting this nonsense until Friday, I figured I would squeeze a couple more mouthwatering, carb filled recipes in!

I loveeeee banana bread. A bread with fruit in it? Love it, love it, love it! I also love figs, though I rarely know what on earth to do with them! This recipe is great because the figs not only compliment the flavor of the bananas, but they also add a great texture to the bread and when paired with the coconut oil, keep it incredibly moist! 

Ingredients:

3 very ripe mashed bananas 

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

4 ripe figs, quartered and mashed

6 ripe figs, chopped

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all purpose flour

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas, mashed figs, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix well and then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until combined. 

In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. 

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, mixing until just combined. Then, fold in the chopped figs, mixing very gently so that they do not get broken down. 

Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45- 50 minutes. 

Let cool before slicing. 

Savory Fig Jam and a Cheese Board for Two

You know those days when you could sit outside all day long, wine in hand, and just eat copious amounts of cheese until your arteries literally stop working? That is every day for me. If I could only have one thing to eat for the rest of my life it really would be cheese. 

So, yesterday, due to whatever political argument was ailing me at the time, I was daydreaming that Richard and I (and the 4 dogs, of course) were moving to France.... when I really got to thinking....these people know what the F is up. They drink wine (maybe even more than I do) they wear horizontal strips (which are my favorite) and I am sure that they have probably given cheese it's own food group. French women never get fat, they always look classy, and I feel like they would be much more accepting of whatever shenanigans that second glass (bottle) of wine got me into. 

Need I say more?

No. Moving to France was officially the best idea I have EVER had (as of yesterday.) So before I started looking at apartments for rent, preferably right next door to a quaint boulangerie, it seemed only fair to inform my darling husband of our new life path. Unfortunately, let's just say he was less than thrilled with the idea. Even less thrilled than when I also explained to him why turning our deck into a sandy beach was an absolute MUST for our next BBQ.... but that's a whole other story.  Anyways, while he was a bit under enthused with us moving to France for silly reasons like our careers, money, and family....... being the absolute dreamboat that he is,  he ran to the market, got every kind of amazing cheese possible, picked a perfect bottle of french wine and we are calling it a day. Did I marry well, or what? 

I obviously put on my best horizontal stripes, thanked god I just cut my hair into a bob, and broke out my favorite cheese board. Now, trying to keep in theme with "fig week" I figured this the perfect time to make my absolute favorite fig jam. It's savory, delicious, and pretty quick to make. It also calls for dried figs, so you can make it any time of the year. I actually made this recipe for our engagement party (almost 2 years ago- gasp!) and it was quite a hit!

a modest cheese board for two with savory fig jam

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons minced shallots
2 fresh thyme sprigs plus 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup dried black mission figs
3/4 cup port
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Method:
Cook shallot, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf in butter in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, until shallot is softened, about 2 minutes. Add dried figs, Port, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until figs are soft, about 10 minutes. If there is still liquid in saucepan, remove lid and simmer, stirring, until most of liquid is evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes more. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs and transfer jam to a bowl. Cool, then stir in minced thyme and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on toast, make crostinis, or put a dollop of it right on a cheese board like I did. 

Au revoir!

Fig and Honey Ice Cream

I am getting a late start today. The Mr. and I hosted trivia last night (I know, we're super cool) and the two-ish (read: "five")  glasses of wine that I had to cure my stage fright really took their toll. Ugh. I do not deal with hangovers well. Not at all. 

I made a grilled cheese for breakfast because I am a 12 year old (that drinks "two-ish" glasses of wine on a Wednesday night) and have been getting to know the comfy side of our couch really well. I don't know what has happened to me in my ripe old age of 27, but when I was in college, for that semester, I knew nothing of this mopy, alcohol induced depression. I was a young, spring chicken that could throw back a few margaritas at night and run 3 miles in the morning. Who am I kidding. I hate tequila and rarely get my heart rate above whatever my resting heart rate is. But you get the idea... Hangovers suck. Almost as much as running. 

So, here I am at 2:30 getting my life together. There is bolognese sauce cooking on the stove and I am joyfully eating this fig ice cream that I just made. Holy F is it good. It tastes a little bit like fall.... which I am ok with... but I felt it necessary to give you a heads up that it may induce pumpkin pie cravings and the odd need to put on a sweater. Speaking of which, I should probably get dressed. Time to make something of this day.

Ingredients:

1 pound ripe black mission figs, stemmed and quartered
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick cinnamon
½ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1½ cups heavy cream
½ cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method:

Bring figs, honey, brown sugar, juice, ½ tsp. salt, cinnamon, and ⅓ cup water to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until figs break down and mixture is thickened like jam, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, using a hand mixer, beat sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. Add remaining salt, cream, milk, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. After churning, alternate layers of ice cream and fig sauce in a storage container, and then freeze for at least 6 hours to set.

Inspiration from Saveur Magazine

Figs on Toast & Figs for Days

I am serious. This is going to be the first annual Ginger in the Kitchen: Fig Marathon.... kind of like when they play 12 episodes of America's Next Top Model, but even BETTER!

I was at Whole Foods on Monday (surprise!) and the fig display and I had a serious moment.... the kind that makes you a little swoon-ey, but not full blown love at first sight. You see, figs and I have a complicated relationship. I think they are really pretty and sweet, but I just don't know what they've got going on inside (besides jammy deliciousness.) This could be because as a child my life was ruined by Fig Newtons (gag!!!!) or because as an adult I just don't know what the hell to do with them! They look lovely on a cheese bored, and man, are they perfect stuffed with some blue cheese, but we have really never taken our love any further than that. So, in an effort to deepen our relationship and see what these tiny, little fruits are made of..... I bought 3 pints. Let the fun begin.

I decided to start easy. I used to hate avocados (except guacamole.... I'm not completely crazy.) Then the avocado toast craze happened, and being the on trend lady in the kitchen that I am, one day I gave it a try. My life was changed. Holy delicious! Avocado toast taught me two things that day: 1. I should always listen to Gwenyth Paltrow and 2. If you don't know what to do with it..... put it on toast!

Back to figs......

Put them on toast!

You can't really go wrong here. Figs pair well with endless ingredients. Here's a few delicious combinations to try:

Grilled peaches, grilled figs, ricotta cheese, and wildflower honey. 

Figs with arugula and goat cheese drizzled with balsamic reduction.

Grilled figs with creamy blue cheese, prosciutto, and thyme. 

I placed each combination on lightly grilled and sliced baguette. The figs were super yummy grilled... just heat your grill to medium, lightly brush the figs with olive oil, and then grill them over medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side or until you see some nice grill marks. I did the same with the peaches, too. Then, just pile everything on your sliced baguette, and voila! This is such an easy, delicious appetizer! You are sure to be everyone's favorite hostess... and figs and I have just taken our love to the next step!

Stay tuned! Fresh fig ice cream and savory fig jam to come! It's a love affair in the making.

Olive Oil & Maple Syrup Quinoa Granola with Figs

I am pretty much the biggest fan of breakfast ever. I open my eyes and the first thing that I think of is food. Surprise, surprise. Gosh, I just love breakfast. I love eggs, bacon, french toast, all of it. Though I must say, I pretty much never eat granola. Really... never. Most granolas are carb and sugar packed cardboard disguised in a "healthy" looking package that slowly kills you. Well, it will kill you by making you want to kill yourself because all of your pretty summer dresses now hug all of the wrong places because it is SO BAD FOR YOU! Yup, granola is bad for you. Read the nutrition info next time. Though, thank god for you, this is not your suicide inducing, summer dress ruining granola. Oh, no. You're welcome.

This recipe (once again, slightly adapted, from Gwenyth's new book "It's All Good") is just the opposite. Protein packed quinoa flakes tossed in pure maple syrup and olive oil are used in place of oats and sugar and then mixed with raw nuts and fruit. Its delicious and good for you. Seriously... so delicious.

Olive Oil & Maple Syrup Quinoa Granola with Figs

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup PURE maple syrup

3 cups quinoa flakes (these can be tricky to find.... I found them at Whole Foods)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped

1 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, shelled and roughly chopped

1 1/4 cup dried figs, you guessed it.... roughly chopped

Sea salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Stir together the olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, a pinch of sea salt and quinoa flakes until thoroughly combined. 

Spread the quinoa on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, stirring every so often. This took about 30 minutes. Let the quinoa cool completely. 

Once cool, combine the quinoa with the nuts and figs and store in an air tight jar for up to two weeks. 

I had this with some greek yogurt (for even more protein) and some fresh raspberries. I also added 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed because it's good for your body and that's how I do it.