Savory Spinach + Onion Scones

I was inspired to make some scones after finally finding a vegan savory scone at Fiore’s Bakery in JP. I can usually only find sweet vegan baked goods and was thrilled to try out my own version at home.

This recipe is inspired by one I found in Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I’ve made it less sweet and added spinach and onion to the basic batter to make an amazing scone for any time of the day.

Next up, I will make a GF version!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup non dairy milk ( a creamy milk like soy or almond seems to work best)

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 cups flour, I used Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White Flour

2 TBSP baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar (optional) add up to 1/2 cup if making a sweet scone

1/2 cup non-hydrogentated vegetable shortening (I used Earth Balance)

2 TBSP olive oil (or canola or coconut oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

1/2 medium sized onion finely diced + 2 cups spinach leaved, finely chopped (should equal 1-1 1/2 cups when mixed)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Use a non stick baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

In a smaller bowl, mix together the milk and cider vinegar. Stir well and allow to sit for 5 minutes to “curdle” into a mock buttermilk.

Add the shortening to the dry ingredients with a pasty blend or by chopping into small pieces and blending into the four mixture with your hands. It is mixed in enough when the shortening is like tiny pebbles in the dry mix.

Stir in the milk, oil and vanilla and the spinach and onion and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is folded into the mix-do not over mix.

Using a big spoon, scoop the batter onto the baking sheet in your desired size. These do puff up a bit so I suggest going a bit smaller.

Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the bottoms are browned and the tops have just begun to brown and get firm and crispy. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

This recipe can make 20 medium sized scones.

steamed sweet potato + kale and sprouted legumes + chickpeas with lemon-tahini drizzle

This is a pretty standard dinner/lunch that’s easy to prepare and super packed with nutrients and simple fresh flavors.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, sliced in large discs (sliced like a loaf of bread)

1 head of kale, stems removed and torn or chopped into small pieces

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup fresh sprouted legumes, I used a mung, adzuki, lentil mix

1/4 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced or pressed

1 tsp Chinese five spice, or your favorite spice

For the drizzle dressing: put together in a glass jar and shake until well mixed. 

juice from 2 fresh lemons

2 TBSP water

1 TBSP Braggs aminos or tahini

1TBSP rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4-1/2 cup tahini

Directions:

1) In a heavy bottomed skillet, add the garlic and onions and 1 TBSP water. Over medium heat, cook until onions begin to become soft and garlic is fragrant. Add the chickpeas and legumes and the Chinese five spice and stir well.

Continue to cook, stirring frequently and adding more water if needed until the mixture is slightly browned.

2) I used a 2 tier bamboo steamer for the sliced sweet potato. Form 1-2 even layers of sweet potato on each tier and steam over a boiling pot until tender. Test by gently poking the top layer of sweet potatoes with a fork. They are ready when just soft and tender. Remove from heat when done.

3) In a large pot, fill with the kale and 1-2 TBSP water on medium high heat until it begins to steam. Stir well, cover and remove from heat to allow steaming to continue without overcooking.

To serve, plate the steamed kale and sweet potato, top with the chickpeas/sprouts and drizzle with the lemon tahini dressing.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS: Serve over rice, add avocado, nutritional yeast, pumpkin or sunflower seeds or nuts or add sunflower sprouts.

GFV Flourless Oatmeal-Raisin-Pumpkinseed Muffins

This is my tweaked version of my friend Jess’s super simple on the fly oatmeal muffins.

This version comes out like soft oatmeal raisin cookies in a muffin form. You can also bake them in classic cookie form on a baking sheet.

And they’re flour-less!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup rolled oats. I used Bob’s Red Mill Extra Thick rolled oats

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup rice milk (or other non dairy milk)

2/3 cup date sugar

2 flax “eggs” ( 2 TBSP ground flax meal + 6 TBSP water, whisked together)

2 TBSP unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and stir well.

Add in the wet ingredients and mix together until blended.

Use a greased (or paper liners) 12 well muffin pan and fill each well to the top.

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

GFV sugar-free healthy muffins

This is a spin off on my favorite “perfect muffin” recipe posted earlier.

I’ve replaced all of the sugar with date sugar and tweaked the recipe to eliminate the oil and given a nutrition boost to some of the liquid ingredients.

At first it appeared they would taste as “good” as a GFV sugar free muffin sounds, but I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Ingredients:

2 cups GF all-purpose flour mix  + 1 tsp xanthum gum

3/4 cup date sugar, sifted if lumpy. This is dried ground up dates-amazing as a sugar substitute for baking!

1 TBSP baking powder

1/4-1/2 tsp salt

1 banana

1/2 cup vanilla coconut-chia cream

3/4 cup non dairy milk, I used homemade rice milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: 1-2 TBSP lemon rind, dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, coconut.

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

IN a food processor, combine the banana and the vanilla coconut-chia cream and blend until smooth. Should equal one cup.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well, add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Gently fold the fruit into the batter. This will be a thick batter. If it seems too dry, you can add more non dairy milk or water.

Fill muffin pan with 12 liners or use a non-stick pan

Scoop the filling into each tin, filling it to the top. Bake for 25-35minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

These will likely brown a bit on top before the middles are completely cooked.

Chocolate Chia Coconut Pudding

Craving a little chocolate but want to avoid sugar and add a little fiber and protein?

This is a perfect dessert that’s smooth and creamy with just a hint of sweetness.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of rice milk (or other non dairy milk. coconut and almond will yield a creamier pudding)

1/2 cup chia seeds

2 rounded TBSP cocoa powder or raw cacao

4 TBSP date crumbles or 4 dates

4 TBSP unsweetened shredded coconut

Put all the ingredients into a blender and mix on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add more liquid if it is too thick to blend. Spoon or pour into serving dishes and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.

*Optional add 1/4 tsp vanilla

Vanilla Coconut-Chia Cream

I made a really tasty “cream” this weekend for adding to cereal or smoothies or on fruit for dessert. It’s super simple and tasty. Keep refrigerated after making and consume with 3-5 days.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chia seeds
2-4 dates
1 tsp vanilla extract or fresh vanilla bean (or try lemon extract or your fave)
3/4-1 cup water or rice milk (or any milk)

Directions:

Whip up in a blender until creamy. So delicious!

Refrigerate in a glass jar and consume within 3-5 days to preserve freshness.

Add more liquid if the cream becomes too thick after refrigeration. The chia seeds will begin to “gel” a bit.

Alternatives: replace coconut with sunflower seeds (raw or sprouted) or your favorite nuts that have been soaked for several hours to make tender.

Perfect Vegan Muffins

This is a pretty amazing all around muffin mix. I have added blueberries and raspberries to make tasty berry muffins but the batter is versatile for just about anything you like to add to your muffins.

I’m posting my healthier take on these muffins by removing the oil, soy and most of the sugar. The original recipe options are in parentheses though, so you can try them both ways and decide for yourself.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour or spelt flour OR GF all-purpose flour mix  + 1 tsp xanthum gum

1/4 cup sugar (original recipe 3/4 cup sugar)

1/2 cup date sugar this is dried ground up dates-amazing as a sugar substitute for baking! (eliminate if using original recipe amount above)

1 TBSP baking powder

1/4 tsp salt (original recipe 1/2 tsp)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (original recipe 1/2 cup soy yogurt or applesauce + 1/2 cup canola oil)

3/4 cup non dairy milk (original recipe 1/2 cup)

2 tsp vanilla extract (or lemon extract-yum!)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen berries

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: 1-2 TBSP lemon rind, dried fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, coconut.

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and mix well, add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Gently fold the fruit into the batter. This will be a thick batter. If it seems too dry, you can add more non dairy milk or water.

Fill muffin pan with 12 liners or use a non-stick pan

Scoop the filling into each tin, filling it to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Homemade Rice Milk

I ran out of rice milk over the weekend but really wanted to make muffins for after our long, damp bike ride on Sunday. When I buy rice milks, I always get something with the fewest ingredients possible. it breaks down to rice and water, maybe a pinch of salt or vanilla and some have oils in them.

I went for the homemade version which is as simple as it gets. Cooked rice + water = rice milk.

It worked great and the muffins came out perfect and they were all I could think of after hour 3.5 on the bike. Such a nice little reward!

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice, white or brown

3-4 cups filtered water

Directions:

Add rice and water to a blender and mix on high for 2-4 minutes until completely blended.

You may strain your rice milk through a sieve or cheesecloth if you prefer a thinner/smoother rice milk.

Optional additions: 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp maple syrup

Refrigerate in a glass jar and use within 4-5 days to maintain freshness.

Immune Boosting Lemon Apple Ginger Juice

This juice has a really tart bite form the lemons and ginger, but some sweet red apples can really mellow things out.

Additional boosts to this juice are garlic and cayenne to really fire up the digestive juices and the immune system, but maybe best to not drink the garlic boosted juice before heading to work.

You can also add a pinch of maple syrup if it’s too tart or if you are giving this to kids.

You will need a juicer for this recipe.

Ingredients:

makes 4 servings

4 small lemons, peeled. Use Meyer lemons for a sweeter taste.

4 red or green apples, cut in halves

2″ chunk of ginger, peeled

Juice all of the items together, stir and serve immediately. You can store for about 24 hours in the fridge before the nutritional values break down.

Herb Crusted Tempeh

This recipe was originally used for cornmeal crusted mushroom but has since become a favorite using tempeh or tofu. Perfect alone with vegan tartar sauce or over steamed veggies and grains.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup brown rice flour (Bob’s Red Mill is fantastic)

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 package tempeh, cut in half to make thinner, then cut into triangles

1 cup non dairy milk

Oil for frying OR you can bake the tempeh at 350 degrees until browned and crispy, turning the pieces over to brown each side evenly.

For vegan tartar sauce:

3-4 Tbsp vegan mayonaise

4-5 Tbsp dill pickle relish

1 tsp yellow or dijon mustard

Mix together in a small bowl. Add more relish or mustard to taste.

Directions:

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and stir well.

In a separate bowl add the “milk”.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add the tempeh and cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until plump and tender. This removes any bitterness and makes for a more tender bite. Drain the tempeh and allow to cool a bit.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan (cast iron works well) with canola oil until simmering but not smoking.

Dredge each tempeh triangle in the milk and then in the flour mixture coating well.

For frying:

and fry in batches of 4-6 pieces for about 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly browned and crispy. Flip tempeh about 1/2 way through to evenly crisp.

Add more oil to pan as needed.

Drain tempeh well on paper towels.

For baking:

Heat oven to 350 degrees and place dredged and coated tempeh on a baking sheet. Bake until browned and crispy, turning the pieces over to brown each side evenly.

Serve with a side of vegan tartar sauce for dipping or over your favorite greens + soba noodles or with mashed potatoes for a hearty dish.