Crostini with 'Gorgonzola', Caramelized Onions, and Fig Jam

These tasty little crostini make a great appetizer! In place of gorgonzola, I used the soy blue cheese from Sunergia. You'll have more fig jam than you need for this recipe, so use leftovers on breakfast toast!

To make the jam, place 1 cup dried figs and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Transfer the figs to a saucepan, along with 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thick. Use your judgment on this step - the original recipe said it would take about 25 minutes, but mine wasn't like jam until about 45 minutes - perhaps I wasn't simmering over high enough heat.

Let the jam cool completely before making the rest of the recipe (I made mine early in the afternoon).

To make the onions, heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add 2 cups sliced yellow onion, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp. chopped thyme, and 1/4 tsp. salt; cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 20 minutes - the onions should be a deep golden brown by the end. Add up to 1/2 cup water to the pan as needed to keep the onions from sticking to the pan.

Meanwhile, slice 24 (1-inch) slices of French bread baguette; toast for a couple of minutes on each side under the broiler.

Crumble 3 ounces of soy blue cheese. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the 'cheese' on each baguette slice. Top each slice with 1 teaspoon of the fig jam and 1 teaspoon of the caramelized onions. Sprinkle the crostini evenly with an additional teaspoon of chopped thyme.

2 crostini make an appetizer nosh of 110 calories.

Cost:
dried figs $5.49
yellow onion $1.18
French bread baguette $2.29