Fig and Goat's Cheese Salad

I can't believe I've not discovered the awesomeness of figs before.  Where have I been?  Mars?   Sure, I've tried figs before, but they've just passed me by -  until now!

Some foods are just goddam perfik together.  Take figs and goat cheese;  Win.  Then put figs, goat cheese and a sweet vinaigrette (if you don't have pomegranate, you can just use good old balsamic vinegar)  and it's a win win WIN.

SO sweet, SO creamy, SO lovely.  And SO simple.  Lick your lips, this is a summer salad winner.  Did I mention this is also gluten free?  Yes, yes it is!  (I am a little excited, can you tell?)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses / vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A good handful and a half of rocket mixed leaves (with some spinach)
4 figs, cut into halves or quarters
3 oz fresh goat cheese, cut into chunks or goat cheese curds

Place pomegranate molasses (or balsamic vinegar) or vinagrette with the oil and a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk loads.

Toss the rocket and salad leaves with dressing. Pile on a plate and top with figs and cheese (crumble it over and try not to eat some while you're doing it... I did... well a lot...it was yummy:)

Drizzle with a bit of extra olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter pomegranate seeds on top if you're feeling ultra fancy and you have some, I didn't, and I wasn't feeling fancy.

So this salad is really going to be my springtime go-to salad.  I can't believe I've not got into figs before!

Did you know I went out without my coat on today?  Yes, it's crazy.  A few more degrees and maybe I'll take my shoes and socks off too.

Here's a few notes from my weekend.
1.  Bowls.  More bowls I saw in John Lewis (I'm getting a bit of a bowl addiction!).  I'm imagining eating some of Winstone's Ice Cream from these lovely ones.  I hear they've got a new coconut flavour and I am just desperate to try some, in the sunshine, with my shoes and socks off!

2. This is a new coffee shop in Cirencester - Coffee #1.  It reminds me of what Starbucks used to be like - more Central Perk from F.r.i.e.n.d.s TV fame... very cosy, retro and did a nice selection of blended fresh juices.

3. Diamond Cucumber.  Just because.  Regular sliced cucumber is so boring, so I jazzed it up a bit.  It was a delicious organic cucumber too... and SO sweet and juicy.  You see, I AM getting into these springtime salad days!!

I hope you all had a great weekend too.  Chat or tweet me @dishesundressed or pop by my Facebook Page where I share even more foodie fun!

Lazy days in Lake Atitlan

My brilliant mate Emma is travelling the world at the moment, currently in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala (how coool is that?!) and although I'm very jealous (very! Just look at all the colours and sunshine!) the photos she's taken are just making me drool... ! She's an amazing photographer and here she shares a few tasty ones exclusively for you and me in this very special foodie postcard from Gautemala... over to you Emma!

The food here focuses on combining healthy with yummy! The fruit and veg, fresh from the nearby farmers markets, are full of colour and flavour. My favourite time of the day has to be breakfast - for me it's such a treat to eat out for breakfast!

My favourite cafe here, Cafe La Peurta, bakes a 3 seed wholewheat bread, which toasted is to die for, and you can tell the jam is homemade. It's served with a pot of their house blended breakfast tea or freshly squeezed watermelon and pineapple juice. I just love the colours! I think I could eat here forever :)

We stumbled across a little veggie cafe the other day, and although my boyfriend doesn't really believe a meal is a meal without meat, I managed to persuade him to give it a try! I ordered the rainbow salad with homemade bread and thickly spread homemade hummus. The hummus was amazing! He went for goats cheese salad, all multi-coloured and organic. Food here is not just delicious though, it's almost a decorative art form!

There's this amazing little juice stand in the village, run by a family of beautiful Guatemalan girls. The girls wear the traditional Mayan dress, made from local fabrics. Traditionally the vibrant colours and patterns denoted the village they come from. I think it's so wonderful how they've held on to their traditions in this way. The juices are so delicious, and they are cheap too! It's a win-win!

So let me share with you my current favourite juice recipe, courtesy of the lovely Mayan girls. It's super scrummy! (and if you make yourself one, you gotta let me know what you think!):

2 beetroots
2 carrots
2.5 oranges
fresh ginger

Juice. Blend. Enjoy.

I love it here! I do, I really do! Guatemala has surprised me in so many ways! Its natural beauty, its vibrant colours, its love of good food, and its warm, gentle approach to life. I've been staying at Lake Atitlan in the Highlands for the last week, and it's the kind of place that's hard to leave. Ringed by numerous immense volcanoes, the lake is famed not only for its S-P-E-C-T-A-C-U-L-A-R beauty but also for its prominent Mayan culture and traditions.

Emma Jackson is a portrait and lifestyle photographer, usually based in the Cotwolds in England, but travelling around the world in 2013. www.paperlotusphotography.com