Hey guys!
Thanks for the lovely words about my travel adventures. It was fun sharing them all with you!
So here I am, back in the rhythms of everyday life. Can’t say it feels anything but wonderful. The next time any of you catching me whining about being overworked, I’d like you to please remind me that I love my two jobs more than anything in the world. Appreciate it. Thanks.
I promised you all a new recipe this week, and I hope I’ll have a chance to oblige. But in case I can’t, let me at least share with you a lovely salad that I munched last week, during my 24 hour hiatus from traveling here in the city. This came to me solely out of convenience. Close inspection of my fridge and pantry revealed that, in the category of salad-worthy items, I had:
- Greens
- Pistachios
- Carrots
…oh wait, that was it. I’d was ready to travel, and thus I’d let my stock of produce evaporate. Then I remembered that I still had some of the lovely Vivapura figs I’d mentioned before. I thought I’d marry them with my other ingredients for a slightly sweet lunchtime creation. As much as I’m not really a dessert person, I love sweet/savory food combos and dishes, so I suspected this would hit the spot. And it did.
The recipe is simple: a clean salad with a sweet/salty vinaigrette. The salad is full of texture, dotted with chewy figs and crunchy walnuts. And although it’s very light, it offers up lots of satisfaction: the figs and dressing satisfy a sweet tooth, while the pistachios provide minerals and vitamin B6, which has proven helpful in preventing anemia. They’re also a great source of healthy fats for satiety.
Gena’s Pistachio and Fig Salad (serves 1)
For the salad:
3-4 cups mesclun greens or spinach
1 oz pistachios
3 dried figs, chopped
For the dressing:
1 tbsp walnut or macadamia oil (if you haven’t got a nut oil, just use olive)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave
Salt/pepper to taste
Throw salad ingredients together. Whisk the dressing ingredients till emulsified, and pour about 1-2 tbsp (I used 2) over salad. Toss gently, and enjoy!
Along with some carrots + Futters walnut butter (thanks, Liz!) this was a lovely and unbelievably simple lunch.
Speaking of sweet and savory, I’d worked that theme into my midweek NYC sojourn breakfast, too. I was torn between my green eggs and hmmm, and chocomole on toast (a spinoff of my vegan Nutella), and so I thought, why choose? I ended up mashing half of a large avocado onto sprouted bread, and mixing the other half with cacao and a bit of stevia to make a quick chocomole. The two variations of avocado mush went onto two slices of bread, for a perfect and satisfying sweet/savory breakfast.
Why choose, indeed!
There are many nice things about returning home after a trip: the presence of friends and family (hi Mom!), the smell of one’s own apartment, lording your tan over pallid coworkers…the list goes on. Right at the top of that list is the joy of fresh, unfussy, and homey food. Being back in my kitchen is very, very sweet.
xo
I'm a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, a former book editor, and a post-baccalaureate pre-med student at Georgetown University. I'm passionate about helping people to discover and enjoy plant based foods in a simple and healthy way. My name is pronounced like "Jenna."
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m not even the biggest fig fan but that salad sounds completely perfect and make me seriously want to run out and buy some figs right now.
And I CAN’T get over that toast spread breakfast. Those thick creamy luscious spreads look incredible, there’s no way I’d be able to choose either!
Never put figs into a salad but should! I love mashed avocado on toast
glad you had fun on your trip, its always so nice to get back to life though in a way:) those figs…..mmmmm:)
welcome home girl!!!!
very interesting salad…and yummy spreads!
I only recently discovered how much I love figs! I never knew just how much they taste like Fig Newtons which I used to love!
Welcome back…vacations are fun but real life is nice to come home to.
That fig salad looks great, what a combo!
How does it feel to be home? I love to travel, and then love coming back to my own bed…
Wow! your fig salad looks divine!
I never would have tried putting mashed avocado on toast… i’ll need to try that!
AMAZING salad idea. i adore everything about it, including the simplicity. i love spontaneous decisions that turn out to be awesome.
Figs! yum! And walnut oil. Nice.
Welcome back. Hope you get in a nice groove. Travel is great. But routine is even better…for me
Mmm…I love pistachio and figs. I bet it was so nice to get home to your own kitchen! I always miss mine and am happy to return, even with an empty fridge.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who really appreciates the smell of their own house. P.S. Figs are awesome
These both look delicious Gena! Thanks for sharing! Your breakfast meal reminds me happily of one of my own favourite creations that I think you would also love…Sweet Potato with Chocolate Dipping Sauce! It’s oh so good and I think you’ll love it! http://lifestyleraw.blogspot.com/2010/01/serious-comfort-food-without-feeding.html Let me know what you think if you try it!!
did you soak your pistachios or just throw them in?
I love figs so much! That looks delicious!
“…lording your tan over your pallid coworkers” LOL
Mmmm, I love savory/sweet combos too! This salad looks great!
I love the mashed avocado on toast! Some nights I’ll just mash up an avocado with some lime juice and cilantro and eat it with tortilla chips for dinner. Easy and yummy
Great looking recipes! I absolutely LOVE figs… dried and fresh! Enjoy being back home
xo
K
This looks so fun! I have not had a fig in FOREVER.
They bring back fond memories of fig newtons as a child… can’t imagine eating a fig newton now, but this salad looks beautiful.
I love figs, this salad looks great! I wish my sickness would go away so I could enjoy one again! LOL!
Yum, figs- And chocomole is so cute! Sounds delicious!
I’m glad you’re enjoying being back home…the simplicity of the salad is amazing, and I bet it tastes that way too!
Ohhhh, that salad sounds fabulous!! And THANK you for suggesting a use for mac nut oil! I bought some a while ago to make something out of Living Raw Foods and it’s just been languishing away in my pantry. This is a great idea! I love figs so this should be awesome!!
Chocomole in the morning? Yes please! I’ve been amping up my morning fat intake recently and I’m noticing such a difference in my satiety level. Somehow, The Huz can have a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast and be fine for 4 hours, but a high-carb, high-sugar breakfast like that finds me ravenous inside of an hour. Chocomole and sprouted bread on the other hand would keep my belly and brain happy for much, much longer!
Figs! I don’t know why but it seems that I had completely forgotten about them, even if it’s one of my favorite dried fruit. Adding some to a salad sounds great! Chocomole on toasts? Why not! Sounds good to me.
Dried figs are my favorite of nature’s candy. I remember eating so much of them in France
Welcome home!
I love smooshing avocado on toast. There’s just something comforting about it.
The fig salad looks amazing! Love figs!
Welcome back home! I feel you…sometimes it is nice to get home after traveling!
You are a woman after my own heart, that avocado filled breakfast looks like exactly something I would love. I adore avocados period, but spread onto a nice piece of bread, or jazzed up with a bit of sweetener and chocolate…even better! Genius, Gena!
Mmm, figs. When I’m not making desserts that involve things like raw pie crusts (which is most of the time, really), a couple figs is dessert enough for me! Fave dried fruit.
Just another person here vouching for the avocado on toast! I put just a drop of olive oil on mine to make it spread, and a little salt. So rich and delicious you wouldn’t think of going back to standard buttered toast!
Those nut oils are amazing Gena! What a difference they make on salads! I just got back from Florida recently myself. The sun just felt so wonderful. I am delighted that the farmers markets here in NY are showing signs of spring, there are some tender, sweet pea shoots there this week. Perfect for homemade salads to welcome you back into a home prepared routine! Welcome home!
Figs on salad and cocoa with avocado, why have I not thought of this sooner?!?!
I also vouch for avocado on toast, I love love love it… although feeding it to my partner turned him off of avocado for some reason. He used to like it, and ever since he had avocado on toast he has refused to enjoy avocado again… hmmm…
Lovely salad, I need to pick up figs. I really need to try the avocado mush, I love using them in salads and dressing … and chocolate mousse.
I loove figs! I can’t wait for them to come back in season so I can enjoy them in fresh & dried form
there are few things as divine as figs in salad. that looks scrummy!
Smashed avocado on toast is so satisfying! I love that you didn’t have to choose and just went for what you wanted.
Welcome back! I have SO enjoyed reading your travel posts. It’s one of the things I wonder about a lot – how you can travel with such specific food preferences. Thanks for giving us a peek!
Oh gosh that salad looks so delicious, I am a huge fig lover. I actually just got done nibbling on a handful
That looks and sounds amazing!
Mmmm, avocado on bread is amazing! Just ran out of avocados yesterday, but your posts always convince me that I should run to the store immediately to buy more
That chocomole and guacamole combo looks delicious! I am obsessed with avocados at the moment on my journey of trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet. So glad I came across your blog and looking forward to reading more posts!
There is no place like home. and your own kitchen!
something about it is sweet in and of itself
Katherine
Walnut oil is so buttery and rich tasting, I love it!
Can’t wait until fig season, our neighbor has a tree that peeks over into our yard and they never pick any so…yay for us!
Gena, I am positively drooling over your salad right now. I made a salad for lunch and am about to sit down to eat it but now am considering putting this one away and making yours instead. Holy Cow.
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