September has arrived exactly how it should, with cool winds and first rain in a long time. You know the one that approaches slowly, with lightning and thunders from great distance, the shift in the air, sound of tree branches starting swaying in the wind, slight shivers you feel when the temperature drops… For me it feels like coming home. I don’t know what it is about Autumn and Winter that puts my soul in its natural state, comfortable, familiar, comforting. It could be the slight melancholy and romantic character of these seasons that matches my personality, the beauty nature gifts us colouring the world in colourful but still subtle and calming palettes, excitement that can compare to the one of new beginnings…
It’s also the time of the year when my creativity is at its peak, everything around me inspires and fills me with the strong desire to capture the beauty and create something that will last, that will possibly inspire someone or bring comfort and pleasure. These days I see many photographers become swept away by fast pace of the world, social media rules and so on, they lose their focus and become obsessed with popularity, numbers, statistics. I will never allow myself that to happen, if it happens, I’ll stop doing this. I do photography because it’s my passion, it’s part of me and my soul, it’s the way I express myself and nothing can compare to that. Even if it means that I will never be ‘popular enough’ or ‘successful enough’.
What does that mean anyway? Isn’t the biggest success when you feel that your work is part of who you are and you don’t compromise that no matter what. When your work fills you up with excitement and joy, with butterflies in your stomach. When you feel like your work is much more that that, it’s your way of life.
There is such beauty in late Summer too as it gives us a hint of what’s to come, nights are cooler, rain refreshing, fruit sweet and juicy. To honour it I was inspired by one of my favourite fruit, figs, to create this simple recipe for which you need only few basic ingredients and you’ll get these not overly sweet figs oat bars that make a great breakfast with a glass of milk or a little afternoon treat. Hope you’ll give it a try and let me know if you do!
Recipe in English:
- For crust:
- 1 cup spelt flour ( or wholewheat)
- 1½ cups rolled oats
- ½ tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar (or raw cane sugar)
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- For filling:
- ½ kg (1 pound) fresh figs, washed and chopped
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Note: 1 cup = 250 ml
- *This makes slightly sweet bars so if you like sweeter desserts, you can use ½ cup sugar for the crust and add 1-2 tbsp in the figs filling.
- Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F.
- Line a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 inch baking dish with baking paper.
- Start by preparing fig filling. In a medium size saucepan combine chopped figs, water and vanilla extract. Cook over low heat for about 15 min stirring occasionally. You can add some more water if it starts to stick to the saucepan. Let it cool while you prepare oat crust.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oats, baking soda, coconut sugar and salt. Add melted coconut oil and stir well to combine.
- Take ⅔ of oat mixture and press it into prepared baking dish.
- Spread the fig filling evenly over the oat mixture and finally sprinkle the remaining ⅓ of aot mixture on top.
- Bake for about 30 min or until golden brown.
- Allow to cool before cutting into bars. Keep in the fridge and enjoy!
Recipe in Croatian / Recept na hrvatskom:
- Za podlogu:
- 1 salica pirovog brasna (ili integralnog)
- 1½ salica zobenih pahuljica
- ½ zlicice soda bikarbone
- prstohvat soli
- ⅓ salice kokosovog secera (ili obicnog smedjeg)
- ½ salice kokosovog ulja, otopljenog
- Za punjenje:
- ½ kg svjezih smokava, opranih i nasjcekanih
- 3 zlice vode
- 1 zlicica vanilin ekstrakta
- Napomena: 1 salica = 250 ml
- * Ove kocke su blago slatke tako da ako volite sladje deserte, mozete staviti ½ salice secera u podlogu i dodati 1-2 zlice u punjenje od smokava.
- Zagrijte pecnicu na 175 C.
- Oblozite 20 x 20 cm kalup papirom za pecenje.
- Pocnite s pripremom punjenja. U posudi srednje velicine pomijesajte isjeckane smokve, vodu i vanilin ekstrakt. Kuhajte na laganoj vatri oko 15 min povremeno mijesajuci. Mozete dodati jos malo vode ako se pocne lijepiti za posudu. Ostavite da se ohladi dok pripremite podlogu od zobenih pahuljica.
- U vecoj zdjeli pomijesajte brasno, zobene pahuljice, soda bikarbonu, kokosov secer i sol.
- Dodajte otopljeno kokosovo ulje i dobro promijesajte.
- Odvojite ⅔ smjese i rukama utisnite u pripremljeni kalup.
- Po podlozi ravnomjerno rasporedite punjenje od smokava i pospite preostalom ⅓ smjese od zobenih pahuljica.
- Pecite oko 30 min ili dok ne dobije zlatnu svjetlo-smedju boju.
- Ostavite da se ohladi prije rezanja na kocke. Drzite u frizideru i dobar tek!
*Thank you so much for being here, that makes me so happy! You can also follow my Travelling oven on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, as well as sign up to receive new blog posts via email and subscribe to my newsletter.
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