The first thing I did after arriving home yesterday evening was, naturally, to open the door of my fridge and peer inside. I got nothing, I thought to myself. But then I spotted a tub of Fage Greek yogurt in the corner of the bottom shelf. I was able to locate a bottle of honey in the pantry, and I just knew I had it made.
Not too long after I started eating the yogurt with honey, I got an indescribable craving for figs. The strength of this craving was really something – you’d think I was pregnant. I figured my vision of eating figs, yogurt, and honey together was not unheard of – after all, each of the three is a sugary delight found all around the Mediterranean, especially in the Middle East. Here’s how I did it.
Well, the thing is, I didn’t have any figs. But fat-free Fig Newtons served as a good enough substitute to satisfy my immense craving. I broke the soft cookies into pieces and combined them with my yogurt-and-honey bowl.
The product was unbelievably good – and remember, that’s including processed, boxed fig cookies as opposed to the real fruit. The Food Network website offers a recipe that’s the real thing plus some extra flavors:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup full-fat yogurt (although I would prefer Fage “Total 0%” Greek strained yogurt)
- 9 tablespoons honey (Go organic!)
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
- dash orange blossom water or rosewater
- 12 fresh figs (bought in your favorite Arabic market, of course)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Stir yogurt with honey, mint, and flower water, and chill.
- Cut figs in half, and brush their flat sides with honey. Place on a baking dish, and bake for 10 minutes or until warm.
- Add to the yogurt and drizzle honey.
- Serve warm.
I had a cold and fake version…but hey, it tasted great. Mine was a light dinner, but this also seems like the perfect dessert. For entertaining dinner guests or treating yourself after a day of school or work, try this simple but delectable recipe.
Image of fresh figs, yogurt, and honey from Shutterstock
Author: Kelly Vaghenas
A recent graduate of Montclair State University, where she double majored in Dance and Anthropology and minored in Arabic, Kelly loves exploring cultural and performing arts, learning foreign languages, cooking healthy food, and frequenting her favorite ethnic restaurants. Her wanderlust keeps her intent on traveling the world, and starting in the summer of 2011 during her trip to Lebanon, CouchSurfing became her way of finding free accommodation and new friends. She is obsessed with Pinkberry frozen yogurt and, after recently discovering that the majority of the chain's international locations are in the Middle East, is determined to place an order at every counter in the region during her lifetime...
