“A cookie you could eat for breakfast!”

I had to chuckle at this descriptive of a recent cookie recipe. To say it was less than accurate would be untrue since this cookie truly is chalked full of goodness!

Here are some highlights of the main ingredients of this cookie roll and why one or two cookies can be added to your breakfast plate without guilt or shame!

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The main players: Figs, Walnuts, Chia Seeds and Oats

Figs: One fig boasts 8 grams of fibre! That is almost 20% of your daily recommended intake of 25-35 gram per day. Figs also supply us with plenty of minerals and vitamin like potassium, calcium and magnesium all useful for muscle function and blood pressure regulation. The polyphenols (micronutrients rich in antioxidants for health) in figs contain various antioxidant properties and are anti-microbial. There is little difference in nutritional value of fresh versus dried figs. However, you will see posts that claim dried figs have more calories, but it is generally not an equal weighing of figs- for example dried figs have had all the water removed so are more concentrated in sweetness, but there is no additional natural sugar than the fresh. Figs (and dates) can be added to sweeten smoothies or recipes without the need of additional sugars.

Walnuts: Did you know the walnut has higher anti-oxidant activity than any other common nut? It also is a polyunsaturated fat, containing alpha-linolenic-acid (ALA); ( 2.5 grams of Omega 3 per one ounce of nuts). Together, these nutrients help lower the risks associated with heart disease, support brain function, improve blood fats and may help increase beneficial gut bacteria. Walnuts also contain natural Vitamin E and Melatonin (good sleep hormone) along with polyphenols. So go ahead, eat a handful a day and toss them your morning gruel. I like eating them with figs, which makes this recipe a double bonus for me!

Chia Seeds: Chia seeds are black or white seeds that come from the "salvia hispanica" plant. They not only are a good source of antioxidants and fibre (almost all the carbohydrate in the seed is fibre: 40%) , but their fat content is over half Omega 3 (ALA). They are a whole grain that contains Vitamin A, C, B3, B1, B2 along with minerals like Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Calcium and Zinc. They absorb water and help with feelings of fullness, help reduce blood sugar levels and help to reduce inflammation.

Oats: Along with it being a whole grain, a good quality protein and generally considered gluten free (less than 5ppm), oats are also a great source of soluble fibre, especially beta-glucan which is known for it's ability to lower cholesterol, increase bile production and help lower or stabilize blood sugar. Oats are 25% resistant starch which acts like fibre and helps to feed good gut bacteria. Oats have B1, manganese (helps with development, growth and metabolism), phosphorus (for bone health and tissue maintenance), copper (for heart health), iron, selenium, magnesium and zinc.

So go ahead, enjoy! It's not only a tasty treat but dubs as an extraordinary fibre bar!

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Fig and Walnut Cookie Roll

GF, Dairy Free, Egg Free

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Bake Time: 25-28 minutes

Yield: 14-16 cookies

Ingredients

For the Walnut cookie:

• 1 1/2 cup of oat flour or 1 cup oat flour, 1/2 cup brown rice flour

• 1 cup of raw walnuts

• 1/4 cup of coconut sugar

• 1 tbsp of maple syrup, date syrup or honey

• 2 tbsp of apple sauce, unsweetened

• 1/4 cup of coconut oil

• 1 tbsp of chia seeds

• 1/8 tsp of sea salt

Fig-gy Filling:

• 15-20 medium sized dried figs

• 3/4 cup of orange juice, fresh squeezed if possible

• 2 tsp of orange zest

• 2 tbsp of chia seeds

• 1/8 tsp of sea salt

Preparation:

1. In a small pot, bring to a boil the figs and orange juice. Reduce and simmer 8-10 minutes. Transfer figs to a food processor to blend, add zest, salt and chia seeds, pulsing gently till figs are blended, transfer to bowl and set aside.

2. In a food processor, process the walnuts into small pieces( almost into a fine flour) add flour, process to a fine powder. Place into a mixing bowl and add salt, coconut sugar and chia seeds. Mix together. Next, add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup(or date syrup/honey) and apple sauce. Using a spatula mix ingredients together to make a dough. Dough should come together nicely, if it is too crumbly, add more apple sauce- starting with 1 tsp at a time till dough is moist and stays together nicely.

3. Form dough into a small rectangle, wrap in plastic and place in fridge for 20-30minutes. Place fig mixture in fridge, as well to cool.

4. Remove dough from fridge, placing it on parchment paper. Using the plastic wrap and a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle shape (place the plastic wrap on top of dough to roll). Make rectangle 6 inches x 14 inches. Remove plastic.

5. Spread the filling, about 2-3 inches in width in the centre of flattened cookie dough.

6. Using the parchment, fold the long sides of dough over the centre to create a “cookie roll”.

7. Flip the roll so that the seam side is down and gently pinch ends to keep the filling from spilling out while baking.

8. Preheat oven to 350F.

9. Place this uncut cookie roll with the parchment paper in fridge for 15 minutes.

10. Remove from fridge and working quickly, cut the dough into equal vertical sections (14-16).

11. Separate or space the cut pieces gently on the parchment paper; leaving the cookies on the same parchment paper, transfer onto a cookie sheet for baking.

12. Bake at 350F for 25-28 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on cookie rack.

Meal Tip/Preparation

• if you don’t have oat flour, you can use approximately 2 cups of quick oat flakes ground into a flour

Helping you to ‘ignite your spirit of healthy!’ annaz

(Recipe inspired and adapted from Prana Nuts- Fig and Walnut Stuffed Shortbread)