Turkey Bacon Wrapped Figs

A few weekends ago Boris and I went to an awesome Spanish tapas restaurant. Tapas are basically like tasters or appetizers, typically served with wine or beer. What’s better than making a meal out of lots of appetizers? One of the more sinfully delicious tapas plates we had was a bacon wrapped fried date. It was delicious but a good reminder that meal starters are generally not so waist friendly. This got me thinking, how can I make a healthy, gourmet appetizer without all of the calories?

I was inspired by my favorite fruit, the lovely fig. The California fig happens to be in season from now through September. Sweet and slightly chewy in texture, figs seem like a gourmet treat to me! So rather than using a date, I used a fig as the base of my tapas creation. I wrapped the fig with turkey bacon rather than pork bacon to cut down on calories and saturated fat. Honestly though, the flavor is just as rich because all you need is the perfect salty complement to the sweet fig. I wanted to really bring a richness to this recipe so I drizzled the bacon wrapped figs with a creamy yogurt dressing. Serve this tapas recipe at your next gathering and I guarantee it will be a hit! It has most certainly become a hit in the Bayerman household. 

Ingredients: 

•  1 Pint of figs
• 1 Pack of turkey bacon
• 1/4th cup of low fat greek yogurt
• 1 TBS of Dijon mustard
•  1 TBS of honey
• 1 tsp of curry powder
• ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)
•  Kabob skewers*

*If you don’t have skewers, you can substitute toothpicks.

Directions:

1. Soak the skewers in water for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the yogurt, Dijon mustard, curry powder and cayenne in a bowl. Set aside.
3. Wash and cut the figs into quarters.
4. Slice the turkey bacon in half, lengthwise.
5. Roll 1 fig quarter in 1 turkey bacon slice as shown below. Secure with the skewer. The skewer should be able to hold 4-5 bacon wrapped figs.
6.  Heat a light layer of canola or vegetable oil in a grill pan or sauté pan over high heat. When ready, place the skewer in the pan and cook on each side until slightly browned. Remove from the heat.
7. To serve, keep the turkey bacon wrapped fig on the skewer and drizzle with the yogurt dressing.  

Nutrition Content:

Serving Size: 4 Turkey Bacon Wrapped Figs with dressing    

• Calories: 127 cal
• Protein: 7.5 grams
• Fat: 5.2 grams
• Carbs: 14.3 grams
  • Fiber: 1.9 grams