FIG & HONEY – WHOLE FOOD, HEALTHY RECIPES, BAKING & COFFEE

Healthy Cookware Lab is proud to feature Fig & Honey as part of our website now.

Fig & Honey is a blog about healthy food, recipes, baking, coffee and travel created by Anjanee. She grew up in the US and moved to Germany with her husband. Traveling the world was her hobby and the inspiration behind many of her recipes developed in her kitchen in Cologne.

Her taste has evolved towards healthy eating, whole foods and diary free cooking which is in a perfect synergy with our style and food philosophy at Healthy Cookware Lab. Many of her most popular recipes follow this direction and we decided to keep them online so earlier readers can recreate these dishes.

Cardamom & Coconut Semolina Porridge

- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup coarse semolina
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (about 6 pods)
- 2 tbsp ground almonds
- 2 – 3 tbsp coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 1/2 cups almond milk
- 1/2 cup water
- sliced almonds to garnish

In a large saute pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the dry semolina and stir frequently until the semolina is golden brown and fragrant. Add in the ginger powder, cardamom, ground almonds, coconut palm sugar and coconut and stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium and slowly add half of the almond milk.

Stir until all of the milk has been absorbed and continue to add the milk and water alternating until all of the liquid is absorbed, cooking for about 5-7 minutes total. The semolina should be completely soft and fluffy. At this point, you can thin the mixture to your liking with milk or with water. I like my porridge quite runny and rich, so I added about another 3/4 – 1 cup more. Top with sliced almonds and eat while hot!

Beet Green & Mushroom Frittata

- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3-4 cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 2 cups beet greens, roughly chopped
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to the grill mode.

Heat a small oven safe frying pan (stainless steel or cast iron) on medium heat until hot. Add the olive oil and sliced onions and then saute until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so until fragrant. Next add in the mushrooms and beet greens.

Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a medium bowl. Add the milk and cheddar cheese and season lightly with salt and pepper. Whisk together until combined.

Once the beet greens are wilted, add in the egg mixture and give everything a quick stir.

Cook for about 3-5 minutes until the eggs have set on the bottom and only the top layer remains undercooked. At this point, carefully transfer the pan to a high shelf in the oven. Watching closely, let the eggs get puffy and brown on top. After about 2-3 minutes, once the top is evenly browned, remove the pan from the oven.

Garnish with some chopped beet greens and eat whilst hot!

Mushroom, Thyme & Lentil Pies

- 1/2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 small carrots, medium dice
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 500g cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 1 1/2 cups puy or beluga lentils, cooked
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 Tbsp dry red wine
- 1 Tbsp dried Thyme
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Puff Pastry Sheet
- 1 egg

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add in the diced onion and carrots. Cook on medium heat until the onion is translucent and softened and carrots are getting soft. Meanwhile, lightly wash and quarter all of the mushrooms.

Once the onions and carrots are softened, add in the garlic and mushrooms and let them cook for 4-5 minutes on medium high heat. The mushrooms will shrink quite a bit in size. At this point add in the lentils, vegetable stock, tomato paste, soy sauce, red wine and thyme. In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch with a small bit of tap water and then mix with the rest. Let cook for a few minutes more until the mixture comes to a boil and the sauce is thickened. Take off the heat and cover to let the flavors meld together a bit while you get the pastry ready.

Preheat the oven to 400F or according to the instructions on the puff pastry package. After leaving the pastry out for 5-10 minutes to warm up, roll it out flat onto a cutting board. Using the top edge of your ramekins as guides, cut out 4 circles to top your pies. Cut a small x into the middle of each circle so the pie can vent as it cooks in the oven.

Carefully spoon the mushroom and lentil mixture into ramekins and top with your cut pastry circles. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush lightly onto the pastry. Place all the ramekins onto a baking sheet and put into the oven for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is brown and puffy and the inside is all oozy. Garnish with fresh thyme and serve immediately.

Roasted Fig & Honey Millet Porridge

- 2-4 small figs

- 1 tsp coconut oil

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 1 cup almond milk

- 1 cup water

- pinch of salt

- 1/2 cup roughly ground millet

- 2 tbsp honey

- handful of chopped pistachios

- 1 tsp chia seeds (optional)

- 1 tsp hemp seeds (optional)


Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice the figs in quarters, leaving the bottoms intact and place the figs in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes until they are nice and syrupy.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the ginger powder and let cook for 15-30 seconds until fragrant. Add in the almond milk and water and bring to a light boil. Add in the ground millet and a pinch of salt and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring often. Add more almond milk to get your desired consistency (I added about a 1/2 cup more as I like my porridge more runny than not).

Transfer to 2 bowls and top each with 1 tbsp of honey, some pistachios, chia seeds and hemp seeds if desired. Place the figs on top and serve while hot. Serves 2.

Zimtsterne – German Christmas Cookie

Makes about 40 -50 stars

- 3 egg whites
- 250 g powdered sugar
- 360 g ground almonds
- 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- zest of 2 small lemons
- pinch of salt

In a small bowl, remove 50 g of the meringue. Cover and refrigerate.

Next, fold in the ground almonds, cinnamon, zest and salt into the remaining meringue mixture. Fold until evenly distributed, but be careful not to over mix. Tip the contents out onto a large sheet of parchment paper sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sprinkle the top of the mixture with some more powdered sugar and top with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll out the dough till about 1cm thick. Place the whole thing in the refrigerator to cool for a 1/2 hour to an 1 hour. This step is not completely necessary, but things can get very sticky so it makes life a bit easier!

Once the dough is cooled, you can begin cutting. Remove the top sheet of parchment and sprinkle again with a bit of powdered sugar. Dipping your star cookie cutter into powdered sugar each time, cut out the stars and place onto a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Continue to collect the dough into a bowl and roll out until all is used up.

Preheat the oven to 150°C.Using a offset spatula or a knife, spread the remaining meringue mixture evenly across all stars making sure it doesn’t drip down the sides. Place into the oven and bake fore 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on them towards the end of 1o minutes so the meringue doesn’t begin to brown.

Let cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy when fully cooled and store in an airtight container for up to a few weeks.

Chestnut Chocolate Truffles

Makes 20

- 85g dark chocolate
- 50g butter
- 50g caster sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 230g chestnuts (pre cooked or vacuum packed)

Melt the dark chocolate over a bain marie. While you’re waiting for the chocolate to melt, get started with the rest. In a medium sized bowl, cream together the butter, caster sugar, and vanilla until fluffy. Then add in the chestnuts and mix all together until well mixed and smooth. Add in the melted chocolate and mix to combine.

Roll into balls and cover with coconut or with cocoa powder. Enjoy!

Luxurious Lemon Sugar Body Scrub

I used organic sugar and organic lemons for this. The lest pesticides and chemicals the better especially since your skin is so absorbent. I also used a mixture of oils. I absolutely love sweet almond oil and coconut oil. Both are very hydrating and softening but do take a while to absorb with the coconut oil being slightly heavier of the two. I also like a touch of jojoba oil which is very light and very absorbent. Rose Hip oil is also great for helping the healing process for scars and cuts and for aging skin, but a little goes a long way. You can mix and match based on your preferences and what you have in the house or just use one.

You will want about 1 part oil to 2 parts sugar. This also depends on your preferences – I dont like mine too oily!

Choose your oils (organic almond, organic coconut, jojoba, organic olive, rose hip oils are all great choices) and mix together in a small bowl.

Add in the sugar adding a bit more oil if things feel too dry. The last thing you want is for it all to crumble apart!

Add your scent or flavouring. I used lemon zest and a few drops of lemon essential oil. Lavender or Rose are also good options!

Apply in the shower! I like to apply with the shower turned off so it doesn’t all disappear right away. Be careful, the oils do make the floor super slippery!

Gently pat dry with a towel so you don’t rub off all the nourishing oils.

Favorite Kitchen Tools

Since I care about healthy cooking, I often use ceramic cookware and I also own several cookware sets for glass top stoves. I believe that starting with fresh, high-quality ingredients - organic if possible - is just as important as the pots and pans you use for cooking.

As for cookware brands, I have two favorite manufacturers. GreenPan is my choice for healthy ceramic pots, frying pans and saucepans. Gotham Steel is another favorite of mine, their attractive nonstick cookware sets add style o my kitchen.

Tammy Kennedy
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