Category Archives: breakfast

Vegan White Sausage Gravy & Biscuits

Posted on November 10, 2012 | 2 comments

When the weather starts to get chilly, there is nothing like a big bowl of biscuits & gravy to warm you up from the inside out. I wish I could bring this to everyone affected by the early winter weather storms we’ve had this year. Hopefully you don’t think biscuits and gravy are just a “southern thing”… If you’ve never had a good meal of biscuits & gravy, you are missing out on one of the best comfort foods out there!

This is a meal packed with protein that both kids and adults can enjoy. It makes a great breakfast, lunch or dinner when served over these vegan buttermilk biscuits.

Vegan Sausage White Gravy (“Scarborough Fair style”)

(‘Scarborough Fair style’ contains parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme)

  • 1 tube Lightlife GimmeLean Soysage
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil (to saute soysage and onion)
  • 2 Tbsp soy margarine (like Earth Balance)
  • 1/2 – 3/4 large yellow or white onion, minced
  • 1/2 cup unbleached flour
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 cups soymilk, plus up to another cup (to thin gravy as it thickens)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp each parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme

1) Brown the soysage in a big skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil by chopping it into bits with your spatula while it cooks. Once it is chopped into bits and browned,  move it into a separate bowl and set aside.

2) In the same skillet, saute the chopped onion in a bit of oil until translucent. Then add the soysage back in there with the onion and mix them together.

3) Add in the flour and soy margarine to the skillet, mixing well until everything is mixed together thoroughly. Turn heat down to medium.

4) Add in 3 cups of soymilk and stir. Add the herbs & spices. Continue cooking and stirring while it thickens, adding in the last cup of soymilk bit by bit as necessary, until desired thickness is achieved (though once the gravy is pretty hot and getting thick, turn down the heat down to simmer/warm).  Serve over top of these buttermilk biscuits.

Mmmmm…. gravy!

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away! I know most of us are looking forward to making (or eating!) our Thanksgiving day meals. Perhaps you are making your tried and true recipes, or perhaps you are looking to try something new… either way, I hope we all remember that the point of this upcoming holiday is to bring us all together, to overlook faults & shortcomings and to simply enjoy each others company as we share time on this precious earth together. 🙂

In my opinion, a really good Thanksgiving meal is about enjoying a collection of many different dishes… maybe the turkey is a big part of that to you, but in my family, we celebrate our gratitude by acknowledging that for us, a sacrifice is not a necessary component  on the table. The way I see it, there are enough sacrifices that each of make in our daily lives… this is one day we shouldn’t have to sacrifice anything! It is a day to enjoy, appreciate and be grateful for all that is in existence… every plant, every animal… and every person! That being said, Thanksgiving recipes will be forthcoming!

Advertisement

2 Comments

Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, dinner, lunch, sauces, Using Lightlife products, Vegan, winter

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Creamy Pumpkin Pancakes

Posted on October 1, 2012 | 1 comment

I’m ready for the change of seasons.  I happily welcome Fall… and all its wonderful seasonal produce! Not to mention the color of the leaves… the crisp autumn air… the promise of gathering with family… even just the idea of an enticing aroma being emitted from a warm kitchen on a chilly day fills me with – for lack of better words – the spirit of the season!

Today is October 1… also known as World Vegetarian Day. Celebrate all walks of life by eating a meatless meal tonight, whatever it may be!  (Earn extra good karma points by having a vegan meal!)

If you haven’t noticed, my family likes breakfast foods a lot! Pancakes aren’t just considered a breakfast food in our home… sometimes we even eat them for dinner.  I usually throw some tempeh or soy-sage on the side for some added goodness. Pancakes are one of those meals that I can count on my kids more or less cleaning their plates, so anything I can mix into the batter to give some added nutrients is a plus.  (That reminds me – I recently read somewhere that recommended making pancakes using fresh carrot juice instead of milk.  I want to try that!)

October always puts me in the mood for cooking with pumpkin. Maybe because they are orange, or because of Halloween, or maybe cause I know we’ll be watching ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown’  soon. And since we’re talking about it, I don’t blame Linus at all for believing in the Great Pumpkin.  After all, pumpkins are full of vitamins that help healthy vision, bone growth, reduce the risk of cancer & signs of aging, and offer protection against heart disease. They are loaded with vitamin A and antioxidants; they are also a good source of vitamins B, C, K, and E, and lots of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, and iron. According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, pumpkins were found to be so prized by Native Americans for their nutritional value that pumpkins were often buried with the dead to provide them with sustenance in the next world. So… what’s not to believe in? Come to think of it, maybe they should’ve named that movie “It IS the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown – and don’t you forget it!”

These pumpkin pancakes are so creamy they literally melt in your mouth.  I like to use almond milk and top the pancakes with chopped pecans. They are best cooked silver-dollar size… and eaten immediately, of coarse!

Creamy Pumpkin Pancakes

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3 Tbsp sugar or liquid sweetener
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • < 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 1/2 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
  • 1/2 cup or more pumpkin puree… I like to use 1/2 can of pumpkin (one can = about 2 cups)
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1/4 cup water
  • pecans for topping (optional)

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Mix wet (including pumpkin) in small bowl. Mix wet into dry. Cook silver dollar size pancakes on a hot griddle.  Top with chopped pecans & maple syrup! Devour!

It’s easy to turn a simple pumpkin pancake into a Halloween-inspired breakfast if so desired!

(To make a super easy pumpkin face, you could draw curved lines down the pumpkin from top to bottom using a chocolate chip.  I threw these “pumpkins” together in a real jiffy, hence the simple banana jack-o-lantern face… You could also easily make a face using chopped nuts or cut pieces of dried fruit – like apricots or mangos – or even small triangles of dark chocolate! Mmmm!)

If you are more of a waffle person, try these delicious pumpkin waffles!

1 Comment

Posted in breakfast, fall

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Whaaa?! Its already September?!

Posted on September 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

We have been pretty busy around here lately. I cant believe summer is almost over! Well, I don’t really mind too much because I LOVE fall!!  My kids and I even decided to start our own school this year (which is basically modeled after the big kid school)… with lessons, experiments, field trips, art classes and other activities… Naturally, I am the teacher (even though there are times when the role seems reversed! There is nothing like kids to humble you…  Sometimes they teach me a lesson about a thing or two… most often it is a lesson on patience! Hahaha) The kids have really been loving it! We checked out several “Little Hands” learning & activity books from the library… great books, by the way, if you have a kid around 2-6.  They have some great ideas on ways to teach science, math, you name it.

I just cant wait to be carving pumpkins, visiting the pumpkin patch, dressing up & decorating for Halloween, making seasonal arts and crafts, preparing for the holidays, baking fall goodies that smell up the house, and  just opening up  the windows and enjoying the nice cool crisp air!  (And it doesn’t hurt that my birthday is this week either, which means we are going to eat at my favorite restaurant in town, The Grit!) Hey! That also means my blog is about to be 1 year old!  Wow!  I can’t believe it! I hope you have been enjoying watching my little blog baby grow this year! 😉

Those of you who truly know me know that I am a list maker… And well, I have already been compiling quite a long list of all the awesome “fall foods” I’m hoping to get around to making this year! I’m gonna be trying my hand at making vegan caramel (and caramel apples!) and candy apples, all of which I have never tried… And of coarse I love making the usual fall classics… pumpkin bread & pumpkin pie (or any kind of pie for that matter!) and Thanksgiving (sigh)… Mmmmmm… Thanksgiving!! … And it will be here before we know it. (My mouth literally started watering just thinking about Thanksgiving!!)

Oh yeah… I wanted to say I’m sorry it’s been so long since my last Dinner and Movie post. We will be watching Charlotte’s Web (the cartoon version) this week and making… you know what?…  I’ll just let it be a surprise! Tee hee hee! We have been reading the book and we are almost finished!  My kids love it! It was one of my childhood favorites as well.

ANYWAY!  Enough babbling! Here’s what we’ve been up to in the kitchen lately!

PRESERVING OUR SUMMER BASIL

Not very long ago, I made this easy basil walnut pesto,which I hope you enjoyed! I read about this easy method of preserving pesto, so I thought I’d give it a try…

First, I froze the pesto in one of those little rubbery ice tray things (mine happened to be heart shaped) and covered it in saran wrap and put it in the freezer. Then I popped them out several hours later after they were good & frozen and put them in a ziplock freezer bag, separating the hearts with some wax paper. They can be used to throw into sauce, straight onto noodles, you name it.  I’m so happy I learned this cute and easy way to save my summer basil! (Hopefully they will end up tasting as good as they look!)

MAKING A HEALTHY “FUNNY FACE PANCAKE”

Last weekend, I treated my kids to a healthier version of the “IHOP funny face pancake”.  I just used my regular pancake recipe and added 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips and changed the water amount to 1/3 cup.  All you need for decorating is your fruit of choice!! No whipped cream needed! I thought they turned out adorable, don’t you?! The kids just loved them!

SOMETIMES A SURPRISE TREAT IS THE BEST KIND!!

We accidentally ended up with some chocolate covered strawberries when I left my box of vegan truffles on the stove as it was warming up! Oops! But hey, this was so beautifully meant to be, I’m NOT complaining! They were magnificent! I think I may do that again on purpose! We dipped them, chilled them… then devoured them!

HERE”S SOMETHING I’D LIKE TO MAKE!

This Sesame Street inspired snack wasn’t made by me… yet!  This is on my list of things to make asap!  Isn’t it just adorable? How gloriously fun (& healthy) to eat!

Leave a comment

Posted in breakfast, fall, preserving, snacks

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake 1 (biscuit style)

Posted on June 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

If there is anything I remember seeing at the Farmers Market lately, it’s berries – especially strawberries.  Go grab yourself some strawberries or blueberries this weekend and surprise your loved ones with this amazingly simple shortcake. This recipe can be used with either strawberries or blueberries… or even peaches, though I’ve never tried those… yet!  I would recommend making the vegan whipped cream ahead of time to get it nice and cold in the fridge.  It will last up to 5 days!… If it lasts that long!

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

To make the biscuits:

  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or use 1 cup whole wheat pastry + 1 cup unbleached flour)
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder (non aluminum kind, like Rumford)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup water (using warm water makes it mix easier)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the coconut oil, water and extracts.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed but no floury pockets.

Carefully pat the dough out about 1/2″ thick onto some parchment paper.  (I almost just used my 1/4 cup to scoop the biscuits out because the dough is very delicate, but if you have some parchment paper, you should be able to pat it out very gently and use a biscuit cutter okay.  I got 8 biscuits but could have gotten 9 if I had made them a teency bit smaller.)

Bake 12-14 minutes on a parchment lined baking sheet until golden and allow to cool.

Shortcake biscuits, waiting to be cut and served!

Make the sauce:

  • 1/2 cup of chopped berries
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Place maple syrup, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of the berries in a saucepan.  Simmer on low, stirring, until the mixture thickens, crushing some berries during the process.  Set aside to cool slightly.

To serve:

Cut a biscuit in half, top the bottom piece with whipped cream, then sauce and then garnish with fresh berries.  Top with remaining biscuit (opt). DEVOUR!  (If your little one likes to help in the kitchen, stacking these sweet treats together can be quite a sweet treat for them!)

This biscuit was made with tofu whipped cream

Oh yeah… one more thing – I ran across this great little article on vegan baking tips from Vegan Pastry Chef Fran Costigan.  It’s a quick, print-worthy/stick it in your cookbook – kind of read! Check it out!

Leave a comment

Posted in 100% local (garden/farmers market), baking, breads, breakfast, child's play, desserts, fruit, Vegan

Tagged , , ,

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Posted on May 29, 2012 | 1 comment

Yes.  You heard me.  Carrot Cake Pancakes.  Those three words shouldn’t be allowed to be on a breakfast menu, right? WRONG! Here is another great creation from Chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz!  If you are unfamiliar with her , you are vegan & you like to cook, I would strongly recommend  familiarizing yourself with her.  She is hands down my favorite vegan chef, with a load of awesome cookbooks under her belt (among those are Vegan with a Vengeance… Veganomicon… Vegan Cupcakes (or Cookies or Pies) Take Over the World… Vegan Brunch…).

These pancakes just blew my mind.  My kids loved them too. In fact, they were so excited about eating pancakes with the word “cake” in the title, they almost didn’t even realize that mommy was grating carrot to put in there!  (My tip for making that carrot grated fine enough is to grate it with a regular grater, then chop it up smaller bits with a big kitchen knife.)  We also put chopped walnuts on top of ours. YUM!!

Breakfast? Dinner? Dessert? How about…  ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Here is the link right to the carrot cake pancakes. I absolutely LOVE her post punk kitchen website (www.theppk.com) and I’m sure you will too – but don’t-don’t-don’t-don’t… don’t you… forget about me… 🙂

P.S.  The Gender Reveal Party was really a lot of fun! That was my first time going to one of those.  My sister & her son opened a box together to reveal pink and purple balloons! YAY! It’s gonna be a girl!

Team BOY (aka the losers!  But hey… we got to keep these cool mustache pins!)

Team GIRL (aka the winners!)

P.P.S. Our trip to the Renaissance Festival was also great!  There was a lot of vegetarian friendly foods… among those were some fried things… I definetly remember seeing fried mushrooms, roasted corn, portobello mushroom sandwiches, pickles… I wish I had asked if they shared the fryers with meat or had a separate veggie fryer.  Oh well, I was glad we brought in our own sandwiches, but it looked like there was a few snacks that we possibly couldve eaten… there was definetely vegetarian friendly food, though there was a lot of meat… steak on a stake…  that kind of stuff! Here are some of the things we saw!

They had quite a number of these funny things!

My daughter got a lovely butterfly painted on her face

Oh! Gargoyles! Hello!

Arlo was NOT afraid of giving the gargoyles “knuckles”!

If you let this guy insult you (for a fee), you got to throw tomatoes at his face!

Another funny picture…

Man-powered rides are the best!

Relaxing in the shade!

1 Comment

Posted in breakfast, Out & About, Vegan

Tagged ,

Traditional Coffee Cake

Posted on May 25, 2012 | 2 comments

Here’s something to whip up this weekend.  As you may know, I am a major coffee lover, and that also goes for coffee cake.  This recipe is really quick and delicious.  And it will make your house smell oh-so-yummy!  This is a good thing to make for dessert, breakfast or brunch.  (If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, you can replace it with unbleached flour.)

Traditional Style Coffee Cake

For the cake:

  • 1 cup soymilk or almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 Tbsp white distilled vinegar
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup unbleached flour
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt

For the crumble top:

  • 3/4 cup unbleached flour
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 5 Tbsp soy margarine (such as Earth Balance)
  • (optional) jazz it up by adding 1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly spray a 8 or 9″ square pan with non-stick spray.

To make the cake: Mix the milk, oil, and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. (I usually stop here for a moment to assemble the crumble topping.)  Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Add the berries, if using  (If you do decide to use the berries, throw them into a small dish with some extra flour and roll them around before adding to the mix.  The coating of flour will help the berries not sink to the bottom!) Pour into the baking dish.

To make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt.  Crumble in the butter with a fork or your hands until all mixed up & crumbly. Add in the nuts. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the cake.

Bake 40 minutes, give or take 5 minutes, until a knife comes clean from the center.  Cool slightly and then DEVOUR!

I am really excited for this weekend.  It happens to be Memorial Day weekend, so there will surely be some fun in the sun and grilling out going on… but I am also attending a party at my sister’s house for my other sister to reveal the sex of her upcoming baby – I can’t wait for this because not only do I get to find out if I’m getting a nephew or neice, I get to see my entire family all together, which is a hard thing to do since that involves 20 or so people!  And I get to visit with my newest niece, Vera, who is just over a month old.

… and on top of all that, we have plans to go to the Renaissance Festival!  I LOVE the Renaissance Festival and I have to say, I’m really disappointed that I havent been in so long!   I must admit I’m a little curious about the food situation there.  I think most of the food will be meat-on-a stick kind of food, so I’m gonna pack a lunch & cross my fingers for extras.  They always have delicious sugar-coated almonds… I also remember them having barrels of big pickles (along with a crazy pickle-man who would occasionally throw a pickle!) Hahaha… oh the memories 🙂

Going to festivals is where one of the challenges enter of being vegan.  On occasions like this, I usually pack us up a really good lunch just to make sure the kids don’t go hungry. A lot of times, I will be surprised and find out something is actually vegan.  You can often find vegan snack foods readily, which are easy to fill up on, but they never feel satisfying and too much of them may even make you feel sick!  Better to be safe and pack a lunch.

There is also a Native American festival at the Gwinnett County Fairgrounds this weekend.  I wish I had time to go to that too!  My kids really enjoyed our last trip to a pow-wow, which was at Stone Mountain Park.

2 Comments

Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, cakes & cookies, desserts, holidays, Vegan

Tagged , ,

Vegan French Toast

Posted on May 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you are looking for an easy breakfast to serve (or be served!) on Mother’s Day tomorrow, you are in luck.  This simple recipe is absolutely delicious.  I like to serve this with a side of pre-made homemade tempeh bacon, or Fakin’Bacon, Lightlife SmartBacon, Gimmelean Soysage or fresh fruit.

I don’t know what we are doing yet for Mother’s Day, but I’m hoping to squeeze in a stop at the nearby cupcake shop to get a vegan cupcake that I didn’t have to bake myself (though there’s nothing wrong with that!)!  Happy Mother’s Day to all you hard-working moms out there!

Your Vegan Neighbor’s French Toast

  • 8-10 slices of bread
  • the basics: soy margarine, pure maple syrup, powdered sugar, fresh fruit

Mix batter:

  • 1 flax egg (1 “flax egg” = 2 Tbsp ground flax + 3 Tbsp water, whisked well)  
  • 1 cup soymilk or almond milk
  • 2 Tbsp unbleached flour
  • 1 heaping Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional but recommended)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp sweetener of choice (I like to use agave nectar or maple syrup)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • dash of cinnamon and nutmeg

Spray a hot griddle with nonstick spray, dip bread completely in batter and cook on griddle until golden brown on both sides. If you go to flip the bread and it is sticking, it probably just needs another minute – don’t rush a good thing!

Serve with soy margarine, real maple syrup & powdered sugar, if desired!

shown here pre-syrup (hey, im a dipping kind of gal) with crispy SmartBacon strips

Leave a comment

Posted in breakfast, Vegan

Tagged , , , ,

Probably Not Yo’ Mama’s Biscuits (aka Spelt Flour Biscuits)

Posted on May 8, 2012 | 1 comment

I have, over time, become… hmmm, I’m not sure if “happy” would be the right word… let’s say more welcome of my sister’s inability to have wheat (sorry Beckster!) because it has taught me to cook with spelt flour.  I really love the slightly nutty flavor of spelt flour.  Using a non-wheat flour** also gives you the privilege of not having to worry about over-mixing something since there isn’t any gluten to toughen it up.

* Spelt flour is practically wheat free, which makes it a good subsitute for people with a low intolerance for wheat, though some people with serious wheat allergies, such as those with celiac disease, are also allergic to spelt. In that case, you should try replacing the flour with a 100% gluten free baking mix (most grocery stores carry a blend for general flour replacing). Please check if you are making these for someone who is gluten-free.

Also, these biscuits are a snap to make. Seriously, I can’t believe they were in and out of the oven so quickly!  Now, I LOVE my buttermilk biscuits, but these are a close second! These are great with jelly & butter, but they can also be used as a “sandwich” for your favorite breakfast fixings… eaten with gravy… etc.

 

Probably Not Yo’ Mama’s Biscuits (aka Spelt Biscuits)

  • 2  1/3 cup spelt flour
  • 2  1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp raw sugar
  • 1/3 cup soy margarine (I use Earth Balance)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk (or soy milk)

1- Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, whisk the spelt flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

2- Add the margarine to the flour mixture and smash it up with a fork or pastry cutter until it is all mixed in and crumbly like.

3- Make a well in the center of your flour and pour in the almond milk.  I suggest mixing by continuously folding & turning it over and over with a rubber spatula until there are no clumps of flour.

4- Transfer the dough to a spelt-flour dusted surface and gently press or roll the dough out until it’s about 1″ thick.  Cut out as many biscuits as possible, and do the same until all remaining dough has been used.  (I made 9… since spelt flour is a tad more fragile/crumbly, I think 9 is the perfect number… any more and they may end up too thin to cut in half.) Place on center of baking sheet with sides of biscuits just touching.

5- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until tops and/or bottoms are golden brown.  You can stick one with a knife to test it if you so desire.

I think the slight dusting of flour gives these a rustic look.  If you don’t agree, just dust it off!

Right from the oven and smelling GOOD!

Biscuits and coffee… I’ll take this breakfast ANY day!

 

1 Comment

Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, gluten free, Vegan

Tagged , , , , ,

Spelt Scones

Posted on April 30, 2012 | 3 comments

I’ve been doing a good bit of baking lately.  My sister (who is GF) recently had her first baby, so I have made her these scones a multitude of different ways… with raspberries, strawberry-walnut, and banana-walnut.    These scones are very versatile and I have found that practically any fruit works wonderfully!  I really enjoyed them when I used 1 cup of bananas and 1/4 cup of chocolate chips 🙂  I can truly say I dont think anyone would know that these are gluten free*.  And the best part about using non-gluten flour is that you dont really have to worry about overmixing!  These scones are lightly sweetened with agave nectar & are so light it is almost as if they fell right out of the sky. I love them!

* Spelt flour is a good subsitute for people with a low intolerance for wheat, though some people with serious wheat allergies, such as those with celiac disease, are also allergic to spelt. In that case, you should try replacing the flour with a 100% gluten free baking mix (most grocery stores carry a blend for general flour replacing).

Spelt Scones

  • 2 cups spelt flour
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar (i use the amber kind)
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup hot water
  • 1 heaping measuring cup of fresh or frozen fruit of choice
  • > 1/2 chopped nuts (optional)

1- Preheat the oven to 375.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the spelt flour, baking powder and salt.

2- In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, measure the oil, agave nectar and vanilla and whisk together until fully combined.  Add to the dry mixture.  Stir in the hot water, then gently fold in the fruit and nuts, if using. (If I recall , the first time I made these I questioned the appearance of the batter… too mushy? not enough?… but I’m telling you, they will turn out beautiful.)

3- Sccop the batter (I like to use my 1/3 cup) onto the baking sheet.  If you make them smaller you can actually make 12.  However, I found I prefer the size of the scones when I make 7-8 (making each one < 1/3 cup). You may lightly brush the tops with oil, if desired.

Bake for 17-20 minutes until golden.   Once they begin to turn golden, I usually peek under a scone to check how dark the bottom is to decide when to pull them out! Let cool slightly and then devour!

Ahh.. a satisfyingly simple strawberry gluten free scone!

 

3 Comments

Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, gluten free, muffins, snacks, Vegan

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Inner Jam Oat Bran Muffins

Posted on April 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

I think everyone needs to have a good bran muffin recipe around.  I really like these good-for-you muffins… They are delicious and they also give you some extra fiber.  But the best part?… you wouldn’t think of them as being “healthy” muffins. The sweetness of the jelly totally takes over 🙂  My kids LOVE these (& me too)!

Inner Jam Oat Bran Muffins

  • 1 flax egg (2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water)
  • 2 cups oat bran
  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or you can use unbleached flour)
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1  1/4 cup soymilk (i like to use almond milk in these
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup or a little more fruit jam (fruit sweetened preferred over sugar)

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly grease the muffin tins.  You can either make 12 or 16 muffins.

Mix up the flax egg and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the oat bran, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, mix the flax egg, milk, and oil.  Stir in the walnuts. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.

Fill the muffin cups less than half full with batter.  Put a big dollop of jelly in the center of each cup.  Add more batter until the jelly is concealed and fill all muffin cups equally. Bake about 16-20 minutes.  Cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Fill a little less than half way

Add a fair amount of jelly in the center

Fill muffin tins equally and conceal the jelly

Voila... time to enjoy your inner jam, my friends

Leave a comment

Posted in baking, breads, breakfast, fruit, muffins, snacks, Vegan

Tagged , , ,