Whole Wheat Fig Bars

       I've always had a minor obsession with Fig Newtons.  

It's all about the fig filling.

 And the soft cookie exterior.

And the way the cookie just blankets the figs so perfectly and you can't imagine the pair ever being separated.

       Until I found out that my cross country buds liked fig bars, I didn't know anyone who liked Fig Newtons as much as I did.  Through them I discovered a whole wheat type of fig bar with all the "healthy" words on its packaging, which was great since Fig Newtons are pretty bad for you.

         So you may be wondering why I decided to make a different version I could easily buy a pack at a grocery store.  Well, for one thing, making things typically store bought is my idea of fun.  Another thing, my mom doesn't have a Costco membership to buy these whole wheat fig bars.  

        Also (says my inner health fanatic), processed foods are all somewhat unhealthy, and making your own food is better for you.

         I'm really happy with the way these turned out.  Just be aware that its one of those recipes that require chilling, rolling, cutting, and moving around thin pieces of dough, so it would be a good idea to turn your thermostat down (the Fig Newton factories have this advantage of having perfect climate control and machines to do the rolling and assembly). You also need patience.  Mine didn't look very good this time, but they tasted pleasant and I'm sure that next time they'll be a lot better.  

        First thing to do is make the whole wheat dough and refrigerate it for a couple of hours to firm up.  Then you start the filling, which will need to simmer for about 2 hours.  After the filling is cooled down, you roll out the dough, cut it into 3 strips, place some filling in the middle of each strip, fold the dough over the filling, cut the strips into squares, and bake the squares.  Then you get fig bars.  They turn out a little crunchy at first but get soft and chewy the next day. 

       

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Fig Bars

makes around 30 fig bars

Ingredients

For the dough:

7oz whole wheat flour

1oz oat flour (rolled oats blended until powdery)
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
4oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3-1/2 oz sugar
1oz brown rice syrup (or honey/corn syrup)
1 tsp orange zest
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tbs canola oil
1 oz fresh orange juice

For the filling:
1 heaping cup (a bit less that 6oz) dried figs, chopped (I used Calimyrna dried figs)
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp orange zest

Directions

1. Make the dough: Whisk together the flour, oat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, brown rice syrup, and orange zest.  Beat in the vanilla, eggs, oil, and orange juice until well blended.  Slowly stir in the dry ingredients until well combined.  The dough will be soft.  Wrap in plastic wrap, pat into a disk, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Make the fig filling: Place the dried figs, water, juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that it is at a simmer.  Let simmer, stirring occasionally for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until it has a thick, jam-like consistency.  Leave at room temperature, refrigerate, or cool in an ice bath until it cools down.  Place the jam in a blender with the orange zest and blend until smooth.
3. Assemble: Preheat the oven to 350*F. On a floured surface, roll out the chilled dough into a rectangle that is roughly 12x14".  Cut into 3 rectangles that are 4" wide. Spread a line of fig filling through the center of each strip of dough.  For each strip, fold one side of the dough over the filling, then fold the other side over that, enclosing the filling.  Roll the logs seam side down and place each onto a parchment lined baking sheet (I find it easier to move if you cut each log in half first). If you can, chill the dough.  Cut each piece into 30 smaller pieces and space them apart on the baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are golden.  Let cool on wire racks.

Strawberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

 
    I love mornings, don't you?
    You wake up just as the sun is rising and everything is quiet and fresh.  Then, you have the whole day ahead of you.
    I like waking up early, before anyone else is up.  I feel like I can do anything that I want.  And oftentimes that means making breakfast.
    I never have time to make pancakes on school days, so on the weekends, I like to take full advantage of my time.  Nothing beats starting the day with a stack of soft, fluffy pancakes.  It puts you in a good mood for the rest of the day, guaranteed.

    And I love flipping pancakes. I used to really want to be a professional pancake-flipper, seriously.  And waffles? No.
    Strawberry pancakes are my favorite. Whenever a restaurant I go to serves them, I have to order it: pancakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries, with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  I think it's been my favorite dish since I was five.
   Usually, though the strawberries aren't actually in the batter.   And these pancakes I made are a bit healthier, since they use whole wheat flour and flax.  Flax seed meal actually gives the pancakes a great, nutty taste while replacing some of the oil.

    Make sure that you cut the strawberries nice and thin so that they don't stick to the pan and stay in the pancake. And my dad always told me that the pan is ready for some batter when a drop of water sizzles on the pan.  Don't ever press down on the pancake with the spatula, as that would cause it to lose some of the fluffiness.
    Enjoy!

Strawberry Whole Wheat Pancakes

serves about 4 people

adapted from Adventures in Cooking

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 large egg

1-1/4 cup buttermilk (or stir 1 tbs white vinegar with enough milk to make 1-1/4 cups, let sit 5 minutes)

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

about 1-1/3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced thinly

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, flax, sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla.
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until the flour is moistened. Then stir in the strawberries just until combined. 
4. Heat a pan/griddle over medium low heat until a drop of water sizzles on it.  Grease with a bit of butter or cooking oil, and then ladle on some batter.  
5. When little holes appear around the edges and the edges are fluffy, flip the pancake and cook until both sides are golden brown.  Repeat with the rest of the batter.

 

Whole Wheat Baby Arugala Pizza

January is a busy month.

The end of the semester ends soon, and that means tests are flying left and right.  I'd talk about midterms and class scheduling, but there's no need to bring those stressful things into a food blog, right?

Well, anyway, January is a really busy month.

But that doesn't mean you can't make pizza.

Yeah, so my mom works late this time of year, so I helped out her by making the family some pizza.  The healthy kind.

There's honey, it's completely whole wheat, and the only fat in the crust really is the tablespoon of olive oil.  And it's delicious.  So good.  I threw in some dried herbs to add a nice subtle flavor. It's soft and chewy the way pizza crust should be. It's a great recipe for a week night if you're home around two or three.

So, to save time, I just threw all the ingredients in a bread machine.  You can hand-knead it if you like.  It doesn't really matter. I also kept the dough in a warm oven to make it rise faster after the first rise.

I made roasted red peppers to top the pizza with.  It's one of my favorite toppings and I love the smell of them roasting.  Here's the link.

You can top the pizza any way you like.  I used baby arugula, fresh tomato, roasted red pepper, onions, and roasted red pepper.  I also used store-bought pizza sauce and fresh mozzarella.

Note: Hey, I actually made this pizza last Tuesday and I apologize for not putting it up earlier.  Just a note: next week is midterms for me and I probably won't post anything because I have a ton of studying to do.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Makes 2 thin crust or one thick crust pizza.  Serves about 6

Ingredients

1 teaspoon honey
 1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)
 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 1 teaspoon salt
 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbs dried herbs (I used oregano and basil)

Put the ingredients in a bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. (Alternatively, place honey in water and stir until combined.  Add yeast and let sit 10 minutes until bubbly.  Stir in olive oil, herbs and salt, then add flour.  Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Place in an oiled bowl and turn dough to coat. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise until double, about 1 hour.)\

Once the dough is doubled, place it on a floured surface.  Split it into two if you want 2 thin crust pizzas. Form into a tight ball.  Cover in plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double (about 45 minutes).

Preheat oven to 500*F. Prepare a baking sheet or two by putting a piece of aluminum foil on it, greasing it with oil or cooking spray, and then sprinkling on cornmeal or semolina flour.  Place dough ball onto a floured surface.  Press down edges.  Roll with a rolling pin as far as it can stretch.  Then, place the dough on your knuckles and turn it to stretch it more. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake it for five minutes without toppings.  Then remove it from the oven and turn oven temperature down to 425*.  Add desired toppings and bake in oven for additional 13-15 minutes, depending on thickness.