1. Place a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add okra and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the okra with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Drain.
2. Tie cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string.
3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
4. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, 3 to 6 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, broth, cumin, the okra, cilantro sprigs and half the bell pepper. Reduce heat to medium; partially cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the okra is soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Stir in chickpeas and salt; cook for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; discard the cilantro sprigs. Stir in harissa. Serve sprinkled with the remaining bell pepper and cilantro leaves.

Serves 6.

Nutritional information per serving: 136 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 4 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 20 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 5 g protein; 7 g fiber; 443 mg sodium; 389 mg potassium.

For the waffles: Blend all ingredients in a blender for 1 minute. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to thicken up. Spoon 1/2 cup (or what is recommended for your waffle iron). Spread out a little with a spatula. I had the oven on warm and kept the waffles warm as I made them. In the meantime, I reheated the blueberry sauce in a small saucepan over med-low heat. If you're using leftover sauce, it will have a jelly like consistency, so add a smidge of water. Stir it occasionally. The sauce itself doesn’t take long to make: In a large saucepan, add sugar and about 1/8 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add rice vinegar when the sugar changes color. Boil again and add the white wine. Reduce to a syrup, then add the blueberry juice and reduce to half, about 4 minutes. Add broth and boil to desired consistency–you will probably need to mix the cornstarch with about 1/8-1/4 cup of water and then add to the sauce to thicken. Add blueberries and taste for seasoning. The sauce yields about 2 cups. Enjoy!

1. Heat a griddle over medium heat.
2. Spread cut sides of bread with fig jam. On the bottom half of the bread, layer 1/2 the cheese, then the ham, the figs and the remaining cheese. Enclose with the top half of the bread. Brush with oil.
3. Place on griddle or in a nonstick skillet, and weight top of sandwich with a heavy skillet or a foil-lined brick. Cook until bottom is golden, about 4 minutes. Flip sandwich over, and repeat with opposite side. Cut crosswise into 6 to 8 pieces; serve immediately.

Serve 4.