Scones vs. Biscuits...

As many wonderful, splendidly natural foods as there are across this giving planet, sometimes you (or at least I) really do crave the comfort of something warm and baked from the oven. There's no denying it, nor any combination of flax or almond that can substitute! For the sugar sensitive and those who can't do wheat or gluten, it can be an elusive task coming up with something tasty, moist to bite into - the food of your childhood - and yet healthy. I'm not saying I've done it, but I was pretty pleased to have come close enough ;) Inspired by a muffin recipe using veggies, I decided to make a gluten-free scone with carrots, plenty of seeds, and toasted apples.

Apple-Carrot Quinoa Scones

















dry
1 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 T baking powder (I use Hain's GF)
2 t xanthan gum
1/4 t salt
6 packets of Stevia (eq. 1/4 cup of sugar)
1 t cinnamon, nutmeg, & ground cloves
1/2 cup dried apples
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup seeds/nuts (I used sunflower +pumpkin)
few sprigs of fresh basil (optional)

wet
3 eggs, 1 egg white
1 t vanilla
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1-3 t of flaxseeds
Water as needed (about 1/4 cup)

• Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit/160 Celsius.


• Combine oil (feel free to use more sunflower oil for lighter texture), eggs, vanilla, and sweetener in medium bowl. Set aside.


• In a large bowl mix quinoa, chickpea, and coconut flours with the baking powder and spices.


• Add wet ingredients to dry and mix very well!


• Add apples, carrots, seeds and basil and continue to mix as the dough firms.


• If the dough gets too tough, add flaxseeds and water in proportion to 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of water (a common egg substitute, this will help achieve the right consistency). I used 3 total because I used coconut flour, which absorbs a lot of moisture.


• With a tablespoon or simply your hands, scoop the dough into balls and drop them on a pan as you would a drop biscuit, or pack into a muffin tin.


• Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until nicely browned on the outside.

I was able to make 17 nice-sized scones from this recipe, and each is only 198 calories and 9.5 g net carbs. They lasted ages, I froze about half and enjoyed them through the following week. Because they are savoury, I had them with butter or soft cheese as a complement to soup or salad.

As I thought about what to call them, the texture reminded me at once of both a biscuit... and a scone. What's the difference, if any? I decided they were more of a scone because they are denser (less buttery) than biscuits, but still have that nice crispy firmness you can bite into. Can't wait to make these again and experiment with other fruit and vegetable combinations! I look forward to trying spinach (all I had was basil at the time), and fresh apples....mmm, OK now I've made myself hungry and wish I still had some left for breakfast!! ~cheers, c*x