Ways With Fig Balsamic Vinegar
Tangy and delicately sweet with caramelized Mission fig flavor, our Fig Balsamic Vinegar is a delicious addition to your pantry. Here we share our favorite recipes and uses for this tasty treat.
1. As a glaze. The figgy sweetness in this vinegar makes it a perfect glaze for roasted or grilled pork and lamb, sauteed chicken and baked salmon. Try brushing it on in the last few minutes of cooking, like in this Fig Glazed Pork Chop with Creamy Polenta recipe, or add a little to the skillet at the end of your saute to coat, like we did with these Fig Balsamic Chicken Sandwiches.
2. On salads. This vinegar has enough flavor to dress a salad or veggies by itself or when mixed with equal parts EVOO, but we also love this recipe for Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette which works beautifully over a salad of arugula, fresh figs, goat cheese and toasted almonds.
3. As a condiment. Drizzle our Fig Balsamic Vinegar over roasted vegetables like asparagus, mushrooms or eggplant. Reduce it a bit for a syrupy accompaniment to aged and soft cheeses. Add a splash to hearty soups like pumpkin and butternut squash. Or pair it with our Blood Orange Olive Oil and drizzle over fruit and Greek yogurt for a healthy snack.
4. In a cocktail. This Fig Balsamic Vinegar makes a great addition to any cocktail made with bourbon or spiced rum. Try this recipe for a Fig Old Fashioned.
Arugula Fig Salad With Balsamic Vinaigrette
When fig season is in full swing you can use them up by tossing them into this easy Arugula Fig Salad with a delightful balsamic vinaigrette dressing! The combination of sweet figs, tart goat cheese, crunchy walnuts, and spicy arugula make all drizzled with a tasty balsamic vinaigrette dressing this one unforgettable and healthy salad recipe!
Holiday Salad With Balsamic Dressing
This beautiful holiday salad is bejeweled with pomegranate arils, mandarin oranges, feta cheese, candied nuts and the most delicious dressing ever!
I love having a gorgeous salad in my recipe repertoire for the holidays.
It rounds out a holiday meal so perfectly both in looks and with delicious, fresh flavors!
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Easy Swaps To Make This Salad
This Winter Salad with Fig Jam Balsamic Vinaigrette is such an easy salad recipe, but in case you want to change it up, here are some ideas:
- 6 cups mixed greens of choice: baby romaine or baby kale, lacinato kale, curly endive or spinach.
- 1 cup walnuts: or pecans, almond slivers, or pistachios.
- 1 cup dried cranberries: or golden raisins, dried cherries, etc.
- 8 ounces goat cheese: swap for gorgonzola or even blue cheese.
- arils from one pomegranate can use a fresh pom, or buy these store-bought.
But really, its a wonderful salad to bring for any holiday dinner or any event you need a quick dish for. I used baby romaine, goat cheese , walnuts, cranberries, and pomegranate arils and the flavors are SO fresh and tangy with loads of texture.
If youre looking to change up your salad game for lunch or dinner for something seasonal, add chicken or salmon to make this recipe a complete meal.
How To Make Balsamic Vinaigrette
It is SO super simple to make a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. These are the ingredients you will need:
- Balsamic vinegar: I like to splurge a little bit and go for a better vinegar.
- Olive oil: also a key player here and wont hurt to get a better quality oil.
- Honey: you can also use maple syrup or agave nectar if you would like the balsamic vinaigrette dressing to be vegan.
Simply combine all of the balsamic vinaigrette ingredients in a salad shaker bottle or whisk them together in a small bowl.
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing keeps well if refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
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Choosing The Best Balsamic
We recommend investing in a high quality balsamic vinegar, whenever possible. Look for a balsamic vinegar that is labeled from originating from Modena, Italy. These vinegars will be labeled Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP.
In general, always try to avoid balsamic vinegars that have additives such as sugar, caramel coloring or flavorings. These inexpensive vinegars are typically watered down and are highly astringent.
For more information regarding purchasing quality balsamic, check out this great How to Buy Balsamic Vinegar article from Eataly Magazine.
Wild Rice Harvest Bowls
Im over the moon for this beautiful, delicious dish and am so excited to share it with you today, especially, because you can make it over the weekend then pack the leftovers for easy, healthy lunches all next week this dish holds up beautifully in the fridge!
Whats inside: hearty wild rice is tossed with my favorite fall food pairings roasted butternut squash and brussels sprouts, chopped apples and cheddar cheese, chewy dried cranberries and crunchy almonds, drizzled with homemade, sweet and tangy Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette. The results are outstanding. If you like wild rice salads then youll love this fall version thats full of craveable flavors and textures.
I did keep these bowls meatless but feel free to add pair with seared chicken or pork tenderloin for even more staying power.
Now go forth and make Wild Rice Harvest Bowls with Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette aka one of the best ways to celebrate this fabulous and delicious season!
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Pro Tip: Mixing Oil And Water
Everyone knows oil and water don’t mix, BUT they can be combined through a process called emulsification.
Emulsification is a simple chemistry process. An emulsifying ingredient attaches to both oil particles AND water particles. In this process, the oil particles are broken into teeny tiny droplets and then suspended in water .
Emulsifying ingredients are food products that have water-friendly molecule AND an oil-friendly molecule. Common emulsifying ingredients are eggs, honey, garlic paste and mustard.
The 3 KEYS to Emulsification …
What If My Dressing Separates?
Over time, your fig and balsamic vinaigrette may separate. Don’t worry, it can be saved! Transfer a small amount of the dressing to a new jar or bowl. Whisk until the small amount of dressing is cohesive again.
Then, slowly stream the remaining dressing in while continuing to whisk . Basically, treat the rest of the dressing as if it were all oil. After a few minutes of slow streaming and constant agitating, your vinaigrette should come together again.
Fall Harvest Salad With Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette
Looking for the perfect fall meal? Try this Fall Harvest Salad With Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette! Its packed with fall flavor and has a great healthy dressing! This post is sponsored by Sutter Buttes. Their oils and vinegars are so delicious.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links.
When most people think of fall food, they think of pumpkin.. apple maybe turkey and mashed potatoes. They rarely think of salad. I mean I get it. The second the air gets a little colder Im all give me a slice of pumpkin pie and an apple cider donut pleeeease!.
Admit it, you probably do too theyre hard to resist. I would guess that most people forget that there is a lot to get excited about with fall beyond just pumpkin and apple flavored things!
One of my favorite things about the fall is the squash. Im pretty sure I could live off of delicata, butternut and spaghetti squash from October February and completely enjoy every second of it.
I look forward to seeing those squash at the grocery store EVERY year, and the second I spot them, I stock up and bring them home to roast them up to put in/on/alongside everything.
Ive always been a fan of roasted butternut squash, so last year when I was at a restaurant that served a salad with it in it, I was alll over that. IDK about you but I would have never thought to toss my roasted squash into a salad.
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Rave Reviews For This Holiday Salad
My kids LOVE this salad. I recently made it for dinner with grilled chicken on the side, and my 17-year old son was scraping every last bit of salad out of the serving bowl after his third helping.
Several of us would have maybe challenged him on that in order to get the last dregs ourselves, but he is a high school wrestler, and in case you didnt knowlife lesson #187 states that you never get in the way of a high school wrestler and his food during high school wrestling season.
This holiday salad comes together incredibly fast and is bound to be a crowd pleaser whenever you choose to serve it!
I hope you love it!
Figs Nutrition + Health Benefits
Not wanting to get too graphic here but, some of us may have a little trouble how do I say this politely? going to the restroom.
Oftentimes a little bit of fiber will go a long way with helping move things along.
Did you know that figs have 1-2 grams of fiber per medium-sized fig? This amount of fiber is more than many other fruits.
Be aware, however, that figs are largely made up of carbohydrates and those carbohydrates are in the form of sugar.
So while figs nutritional profile is pretty good for getting your daily dose of fiber, potassium, and manganese, they can definitely put you overboard on your sugar intake pretty quickly!
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A Note About Candied Pecans
My favorite recipe to use for the candied pecans is this oven-baked recipe. The pecans turn out perfectly every time. Its foolproof and easy! I omit the cinnamon and add a pinch of cayenne pepper for a sweet/spicy kick.
The skillet version from this romaine salad recipe also works well if you are looking for a quicker recipe.
For either method, the pecans can be made a couple weeks in advance and stored in a tightly covered container.
When To Make This Arugula Fig Salad
This arugula fig salad tastes great in the late summer when figs are abundant, or in the early Fall.
You can also try warming up the figs a little bit before serving to make this a warm fig arugula salad.
If you would like to prep your ingredients ahead of time, make sure to keep the arugula and balsamic vinaigrette separate and dont slice the figs until the day of. Toss everything together just before serving and enjoy!
Also Check: How To Make Fruit Salad
Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is sweet and tangy, with a flavor that will complement salads and sandwiches. It only takes minutes to blend up this easy gluten-free salad dressing recipe.
You guys, my baby is so not a baby any more. I mean, hell always by MY baby, but he is not A baby. He doesnt really have the talking thing down yet, though he does find ways to communicate. Usually by whining. Yup, Baby Smiles is now what I like to call a Wendel Whiner. I mean, he is generally happy, but when he is not happy, well, he whines. When we are sitting at dinner and he decides he is thirsty and cant reach his cup, he whines. When he is alone in the den surrounded by mountains of toys and I am trying to make dinner, he whines. When he wakes up from his nap, he whines.
And while he may not have talking mastered, walking is a whole other story. And climbing. He is all about walking and climbing. Little dude struts, and I mean struts around the house, chest out, arms up, with a slight smile like he is the s__t and he knows it. Then he sees a chair or steps or a bench or a picnic table or a Power Wheels car, and he just has to climb. And when he reaches the pinnacle, he stands or sits there, looks around beaming, and he is not just the s_t. He is King S_t. I actually have quite clean mouth, but I have no other way to describe it. But he has earned his new nickname.
Baby Smiles is now King Stuff.
Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing For The Win
Growing up you go through your phases of salads and salad dressing recipes.
You first ease into the salad world by getting acquainted with a good iceberg lettuce doused in creamy ranch dressing.
Before you know it, you have advanced to a honey mustard dressing with a bit of spinach thrown in.
And by the time you are an advanced salad connoisseur you find yourself going back for seconds of an arugula salad tossed in a tasty balsamic vinaigrette dressing!
> I truly believe I am stuck on the balsamic vinaigrette dressing phase.<
Has anyone else gone through this salad transformation?
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And What Does Any Of This Have To Do With This Gluten Free Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Absolutely nothing, except that I felt the need to tell you all so that when I start referring to King Stuff, you dont think that Baby Smiles disappeared and some other kid replaced him.
I also felt the need to give this salad dressing a post of its own, as opposed to lumping it in with a salad recipe. It is definitely King Stuff.
This Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing is soooo good. Even The Hubby says it is sooo good. And when The Hubby makes any positive comments regarding fruit and vegetable-based dishes, trust me, you listen. He is not easily forthcoming with praise when a recipe does not involve meat or sugar.
Its sweet and tangy, and there are so many possibilities for salads for all seasons. I really cant wait to play around with it some more. Strawberries and goat cheese for the summer, butternut squash and cheddar in the fall. And that salad you see peeking at you in the corner of the photos that one is good any time of the year, and Ill be sharing it with you later this week!
It is a little thick, which I like for tossing with salad greens so that it coats the lettuce, or for spreading on a sandwich . You could also use it for dipping carrot sticks or cucumbers. But if you want to drizzle or pour, you may want to add a little extra balsamic vinegar or olive oil. Your call.
Do you have nicknames for your kids?
More About This Recipe
- Known for their sweet honey flavor and jam-like texture, figs are an Asian-flowering plant disguised as a fruit. Figs are briefly in season twice a year and because of this, not only are they difficult to find, but they can be expensive. In this recipe, substituting fig jam for the fresh stuff saves money and time, and ensures you can make this delicious dressing all year round. This slightly sweet, slightly acidic fig balsamic dressing is made with a handful of ingredients and only takes a mere five minutes to prepare. It tastes amazing drizzled over salads or as a quick meat-marinade. Needless to say, if the only experience youve had with figs is from the innards of your grandparents cookie, youre in for a treat. Take a peek at our other homemade salad dressings. Youll see theyre just as easy and tasty.
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Fig Season + An Arugula Fig Salad
At first I was unsure what fig recipes to make with all of the figgy goodness. After all, you can only make so many batches of fig preserves.
And then I saw the combination of arugula + figs + goat cheese now were talking.
A bit of spice from the arugula, a tang from the goat cheese, and a sweet finish from the juicy fresh figs.
Seriously an arugula salad match made in heaven!
Wild Rice Harvest Bowls With Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette
Wild Rice Harvest Bowls with Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette are full of healthy, fall-inspired ingredients. As delicious as they are gorgeous!
This post may contain affiliate links.
I think its finally safe to say that fall is in the air around here! Red and orange leaves are scattered on the ground, yellow and fuchsia mums decorate nearly every porch on the block, and Ive traded in my sandals and tank tops for slip on Chucks and a denim jacket. Coincidentally the 80s called and want their fashion trends back.
Weird!
Trips to the grocery store are almost too adorable to bear right now too. Sugar pumpkins, mini squash, and lumpy gourds greet us at almost every turn of the cart, begging me to take them home. Alas, I have no design sense and theyd just sit in an awkward pile on my table.
One fall favorite I DO know what to do with though, is the abundance of squash sitting next to the wee pumpkins. Come to Mama, Wild Rice Harvest Bowls with Fig Balsamic Vinaigrette!
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Winter Salad With Fig Jam Balsamic Vinaigrette
This salad is a good one and Im not just saying it because I made it for you. Its the perfect side salad when youre in a rush with dinner during the week and makes a great side to any holiday menu.
My favorite part about this tasty winter salad is how easy it is to swap out ingredients and use what already have on hand.