Welcome to my Broke Betch Cooking series, which is exactly what it sounds like: cooking deliciousness on a budget! Living in NYC is expensive, as is ordering takeout for lunch and dinner every day. Other than Sushi Sundays, which is a long, beloved tradition for me, I try to cook most of my meals at home. Sometimes I’ll go to the grocery store with something specific in mind, but a lot of the time, I end up making something with whatever I can find in the fridge/pantry (I am the leftovers queen). I am a HUGE foodie, and strongly believe that a delicious meal is worth all the time and effort. I’m continuously surprised by how often people will reach out about the pictures of food that I post on Instagram (yes, I am that basic bitch), so I figured I would share my “recipes,” if you will, to spread the wealth! Enjoy! 

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Fresh Fig Recipes

It totally fell in love with figs a couple of years ago when I first tried a fig, goat cheese, and prosciutto pastry from this Korean café downtown (I have since lost access to this café because it is in ex-boyfriend territory…fml). Fresh figs are pretty weird looking, so I was very intimidated to even try to make something like this myself. But this year, I finally decided to take the plunge, if not for my own taste buds, for yours!

I got a little basket of fresh figs from the fruit stand guy (he literally has a sign on his truck that says “Fruit Stand Guy”) and put them in the freezer right away. They get soft and gooey if you don’t use them right away, so I would suggest freezing them until you are ready to test out these recipes!

For those of you who are still reading this (bless your heart) but wondering, “what the hell is a fig, Kari?”

Fun fact: figs aren’t actually fruits. They are technically an “inverted flower” that grows from a flowering plant…weird, right?

Anyway, now that we’ve got that covered, let’s dive into these SUPER easy recipes…

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1. Cream Cheese & Fig Toast

Step 1: Throw a slice of your sourdough bread into the toaster for a few minutes (or the oven for 10 minutes, if you’re a true broke betch, like me).

Step 2: While your bread is toasting, prepare your figs. Rinse off any excess goo (technical term?) and grab a sharp knife. (If your knife isn’t sharp, you’ll probably smoosh your fig into a gross mess.) Cut off the stem and then cut into thin slices (3-4 slices per fig, depending on size).

Step 3: Spread cream cheese on your toast and then add your fig jam (this is optional).

Step 4: Arrange fig slices on your toast–you can do more or less, depending on how much you love figs!

Step 5: Drizzle with honey (I used liquid agave, because that’s what I had) and a tiny dash of cinnamon.

Step 6: NOM.

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2. Fig & Avocado Grilled Cheese With Goat Cheese

Step 1: Smear goat cheese and fig jam on 2 slices of sourdough bread.

Step 2: Prepare your figs. Rinse off any excess goo (technical term?) and grab a sharp knife. (If your knife isn’t sharp, you’ll probably smoosh your fig into a gross mess.) Cut off the stem and then cut into thin slices (3-4 slices per fig, depending on size). Arrange on one slice of bread.

Step 3: Thinly slice your avocado and arrange on one slice of bread.

Step 4: Add arugula (you can also use spinach) onto one slice of bread & flip slices together to create sandwich.

Step 5: Place sandwich in a pan with melted butter (optional), and cook for about 5-10 minutes on each side on low heat (this helps create a nice golden-brown toast without burning the butter).

Step 6: NOM.

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3. Cream Cheese & Fig Crackers

Step 1: Arrange your crackers on a plate (I used Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits this time around, and it was delish).

Step 2: Prepare your figs. Rinse off any excess goo (technical term?) and grab a sharp knife. (If your knife isn’t sharp, you’ll probably smoosh your fig into a gross mess.) Cut off the stem and then cut into thin slices (3-4 slices per fig, depending on size).

Step 3: Spread cream cheese on your crackers and then add your fig jam (this is optional).

Step 4: Arrange fig slices on your crackers–you can do more or less, depending on how much you love figs!

Step 5: Drizzle with honey (I used liquid agave, because that’s what I had) and a tiny dash of cinnamon.

Step 6: NOM.

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That’s all, folks! If you’re nervous about working with fresh figs (or just don’t feel like it…no hard feelings), just go with the fig jam! It was a little pricey, but totally worth it. There are SO many variations of these fig recipes you can experiment with, and the flavor is just perfect for fall.

Enjoy!!

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