Dried fruit is a wonderful accompaniment to nuts and almonds; the flavours marry perfectly.
There is a wide dried-fruit selection that includes figs, dates, prunes, apples, pineapples, apricots, raisins, and even rarer berries like goji berries and other new varieties of super-fruit.
Dried fruit has a wide appeal to some people who eat is as-is as a healthy snack, while others use it sparingly as ingredients in foods like breakfast cereals, cakes, muffins, confectionery and topping for porridge.
Figs are a dried fruit that tastes fantastic when soaked. If you place two figs in a glass of water (until the water just covers the fruit) you can drink the delicious sweet juice and eat the soft figs the next morning. The figs get a richer flavour as they soak and give you a fresh, nutrient-filled boost to your day. Prunes are also excellent for soaking. Like figs, they get softer, juicier and bigger (something that everyone who has eaten plum porridge knows!).
If you need some extra energy during the day, bring a bag of dried fruit mixed with nuts when you leave home in the morning. Snacking on fruits and nuts will give you a refreshing boost from the fruit sugar in the dried fruit and protein to keep your energy up from the nuts. You can make this mixture yourself at home or also buy premade in a health food store.
