Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey

There's something so delicious about the earthy, subtle taste of figs. But because they're so rarely eaten, they always bring a touch of class to any meal.

Quartered and wrapped in prosciutto, then fried till crisp makes for a lovely appetizer.

Poached in a red wine sauce makes for a fancy dessert.

But my favorite way to eat it is roasted with goat cheese and honey. This recipe serves 10:

Ingredients
10 fresh figs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 goat cheese, softened (can be substituted with marscapone cheese)

Simply cut each fig into quarters, but stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom to leave the base intact.
Gently pry open the figs and roast in a well oiled pan at 425° for 9 minutes, until softened.
Spoon about a teaspoon of cheese into the center of each fig and roast for another 3 minutes.  Put the figs on a plate and drizzle with your favorite locally produced honey.

Want to make it a more savory? Simply mix the goat cheese with a few dashes of black pepper before adding it to the figs.

Or want to make it sweeter? Use marscapone.

Yum!

Linguine with Sunflower Pesto

Sunflower seeds also taste like summer to me. And this sunflower pesto is satisfyingly delicious and healthy!

Linguine with Sunflower Pesto
Vegetarian Times Issue: March 1, 2001   p.52

4 Servings

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil, or more as needed
12 oz. linguine

1. In food processor, combine basil, sunflower seeds, garlic, salt and freshly ground pepper and process until coarsely ground. With machine running, add oil in slow, steady stream through feed tube, processing until well blended.
2. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook linguine until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well.
3. Transfer linguine to large, shallow bowl. Add pesto, salt to taste and a little additional olive oil and toss to coat. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information
Per SERVING: Calories 347, Protein 8g, Total fat 23g, Carbs 28g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 269mg, Fiber 3g, Sugars 0g