Don't give a fig for figs? Think again

How do figs compare with other fruits nutritionally? I've had fig bar cookies that didn't impress me, but I had fresh figs over the holidays and loved them.

Figs are surprisingly rich in minerals compared with many other fruits. They're a great source of potassium, as well as some calcium and magnesium, all three of which are what the DASH hypertension diet emphasizes. They have a little bit of iron, and lots of fiber.

Fresh figs don't keep well, so they are most commonly available as dried fruit. Compared with other dried fruits, figs keep a lot more antioxidants. Fresh figs only have about 85 calories in a 4-ounce serving, but drying concentrates the sugars to 285 calories in a 4-ounce serving. Still, dried figs are better than canned since most of them are packed in heavy syrup.

There are many varieties of figs, so fresh ones could be anywhere from pale green to reddish to deep purple outside, and yellow or red inside. Most turn dark when they are dried. Keep fresh figs refrigerated and use quickly. Dried ones will keep for months.

I found powdered coconut cream in a small local store. It seems easier to store than the big cans and I thought I could use just a little bit at a time, instead of having to keep part of a can. But, now that I want to use it, I can't figure out how. The directions say to add 240 milliliters water to 60 grams of powder to make thin coconut cream, or 80 ml of water to make thick cream. But how much is that? I don't have a scale for grams or milliliters. And how do I get it to dissolve?

Actually the coconut cream powder is fairly simple to use. Check to see if the envelope isn't 60 grams. The directions are to use the whole envelope of powder. Roughly, 1 ounce of liquid is just a bit less than 30 ml (29.6), so 80 ml is a little less than 3 ounces, while 240 ounces is just about 1 cup.

If your measuring cups don't have ounces on them, there are 2 tablespoons to an ounce.

As for the mixing, if you use warm water and a small whisk it should mix fairly quickly. Add the powder to the water and whisk gently. If you mix it and then allow it to sit while you work on the rest of the recipe, you might want to whisk it gently again just before you use it.

Besides being a common ingredient in curries, coconut cream is a good way to add extra flavor to ice cream, cakes, cookies and puddings. You can use it in pancake or waffle batter to surprise the taste buds first thing in the morning, too.