Fresh Berry & Fruit Scones

I first made these with fresh apricots, then the blueberries started ripening, and the last version I used some plums as a backdrop to the day's pick of blueberries. Consider this a template for a scone into which you can interject fruits, nuts and various seeds/flour and levels of sweetness. If you bake them 20-25 minutes at 375F they will be lovely, and if you leave them another 5-10 minutes they will be crisp on the outsides, while still moist inside.

Berry & Fruit Scones - makes 6 good sized scones

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup potato starch
2 Tbsp flax seeds, ground
1 Tbsp amaranth, ground
2 Tbsp walnuts, ground - or use 2 Tbsp Almond Meal Flour
1/2-2/3 cup walnuts - pieces
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp "Truvia" (Stevia + sugar) or use maple syrup or agave
1/2 cup original unsweetened soy or almond milk
2 apricots or 2 plums - peeled and mashed
1 cup berries, gently mashed in part, leaving some whole(I used mixed blackberries/raspberries and then straight up blueberries)

1. Heat up your oven.
2. Grind up the materials that need to be ground, and put these in a medium sized bowl. Add the rest of the dry materials - flours, starch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and "Truvia" if you are using dry sweetener, combining this until it is one flour-like substance.
3. Mix all the moist materials in another bowl - mash the apricot or plum (or banana or pear) first, add berries and gently mash, add liquid syrupy sweetener to this if you are using that, and the soy or almond milk.
4. Stir the wet together, and then add it to the dry, stirring gently but combining thoroughly. Stir in the nut pieces. This will be more like a moist dough than a batter.
5. Set out your silicone baking sheet (I put it on a cookie sheet) and with a large spoon, plop six 3"x 2.5" scones-to-be. Bake for 20-30 minutes depending upon how crisp you like the outside.

Apricot Tart

We couldn't resist the fresh apricots when they began to appear from the local orchard. Of course we ate 3 of them on the way home in the car, but then there were the rest to think about. The next morning, it was all I could think about... and I wondered how to make one of those beautiful pastries that we had encountered in Europe decades ago. Not having made them when I was using butter and eggs and sugar and wheat flour, I didn't have to undo any ideas, just come up with a way to put a dough under them and a glaze over them. Here's what I came up with.

Apricot Tart - (makes 6" x10" pastry)
oven at 350F


2 fresh ripe apricots
2 Tbsp flax seed, ground (I'm doing this all the time for the sake of Omega 3's)
2 Tbsp almond meal
1/3 c potato starch (just figuring out what this adds to texture)
3/4 c brown rice flour
2 TBSP oat bran (avoid if must be purely gluten free)
2 TBSP chick pea flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1-2 TBSP agave (how sweet do you need the pastry to be?)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c almonds (sort of slivered)

For glaze: 1-2 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp almond milk + cinnamon

1. Peel and slice, or slice and peel apricots.
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients, and wet ingredients separately.
2. Add wet to dry and gently knead into a soft ball of dough an roughly shape this into a thick rectangle.

3. Spread out a the silicone baking sheet on a baking pan and put the dough on it, gently pressing it outward from the middle until you achieve a little bigger than 6"x10" or thereabouts. Make 2 sets of indentations up the length of the dough, approximately an apricot slice wide (see picture). Lay in the apricot slices in 3 rows. Sprinkle this with almond slivers.
4. Mix up the glaze and drizzle it all over the apricots. My husband thought it could have used more sweetness in the glaze or just more glaze... He likes things sweeter than I do, but I agreed with him that a little more would have been nice. You could use honey instead of maple syrup, or sugar, if you are a sugar-eating person.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes - check for doneness with a toothpick. Let cool just a bit before you try to handle it... then peel it off the silicone and put it on a nice plate for effect!

Pear Walnut Kamut Need-A-Sweet-Balls

So hard to go without that sweet treat. Subtracting brown sugar, butter, oils, wheat flours, even molasses, I have been hard pressed to do a dessert without resorting to soy yogurt and fruit. But what if you really want something that is not a muffin, not a yogurt, has a chew to it and that cookie-on-the-side feeling?  There was a nearly-too-ripe-to-eat Bosc pear clamoring for my attention, and this is what happened to it! It is heading down the road towards a granola bar, but if I had not used the silicone muffin cups, and had put small spoonfuls on parchment paper (bake 15 minutes), these would really be bite-sized treats. You can use apple, or probably dried apricots or any other fruit/nut combination and if you are going gluten free, you can either use gluten-free oats, or substitute a bit more almond meal and rice puffs. I cannot claim this is the be-all and end-all of Need-A-Sweet-Balls, so experiment and share your discoveries and success!

Pear Walnut Kamut Puff Need-A-Sweet-Balls (makes 6 silicone muffin cups/half full)

1/2  ripe Bosc pear, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup whole rolled oats
1/2 cup Kamut puffs (you could use rice puffs or any other "grain filler")
1 TBLSP almond meal
3 TBLSP  raisins
1 TBLSP maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
dash salt
sprinkle of flax seeds (on top)

1. Peel and chop pear, putting it into a mixing bowl, with chopped walnuts and oats.
2. Add everything else except the flax seeds, spooning this not-quite-sticking-together mixture into silicone muffin cups, half full.
3. Press gently with fingers into a mounded shape, sprinkle sparingly with flax seeds, and bake 20-25 minutes at 350F. Let them cool before trying to pull off the cups.  You can DEFINITELY use a tablespoon onto parchment paper in a baking pan and make bite-sized crisp sweet snack treats!

Pear Walnut Oat Need-A-Sweet-Ball Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (44g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 139 7% Total Fat 8g 12% Saturated Fat 1g 4% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 28mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 16g 5% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Sugars 7g 0% Protein 3g 7% Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 3% • Iron 5% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

Banana Blueberry Oat Walnut Muffins

I was remembering when my oldest son was a very little guy and we met another family in the park who were eating the most delicious muffins for their playtime snack. The mother had made them, of course, but she was talking about how her skinny little roadrunner of a child wouldn't eat much. She had packed those muffins with nutrition. I asked about it and she told me that she used orange juice and zucchini and applesauce and amaranth and on and on.  This morning I decided to revisit my unsatisfactory blueberry breakfast treat project (you haven't seen that blog because I removed it as soon as I posted it!).  I used a small grated zucchini and a smashed banana, along with a little buckwheat flour and ground up whole oats. My encouragement to grind up my own oats into flour came from another recipe I had run into somewhere. These muffins remain moist because of the zucchini, banana and blueberries. Be sure to let them cool enough before removing the cups. You can let them sit  upside down for a couple minutes to release a little of the internal moisture. But it's hard to resist them when they are still just a little warm. Oh, did I say that one muffin seems to provide 11% of my daily protein?? Here's how it all shook out.

Banana Blueberry Oat Walnut Muffins (makes 6)

2/3 cup rolled oats - grind into flour

1/3 cup buckwheat flour

2 Tblsp flaxseed meal

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

dash salt

1 Tblsp agave syrup

1 cup grated zucchini 

1 large smashed banana

1/3 cup oat milk

1/3 cup frozen Maine blueberries

1/4 cup walnuts pieces

1. Grind the oats, combine with flour, meal, baking powder and soda and salt. 

2. In a separate bowl, grate the zucchini, smash in the banana, add the agave, oat milk and blueberries.

3. Mix the wet into the dry, until it is one thick doughlike batter. Gently stir in the walnuts. 

4. Over fill 6 muffin cups and bake at 350F for 45-50 minutes.  You must let these cool before trying to remove them from the cups.

Banana Blueberry Oat Walnut Muffins Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 muffin (96g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 170 9% Total Fat 6g 9% Saturated Fat 1g 3% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 194mg 8% Total Carbohydrate 27g 9% Dietary Fiber 5g 18% Sugars 6g 0% Protein 6g 11% Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 9% Calcium 8% • Iron 9% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. Courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

Golden Flaxseed Muffins

I've been reading about flaxseed and all its useful nutrition, especially for omega-3s and lignons. So this morning when I felt like baking, I thought about using the golden flaxseed meal I had brought home a week or two ago from the food co-op.  That's how it began. My husband has a cold and said that though he can't taste much, something sweet just might be nice.  Here's what happened!! This little muffin is sweet and delicious, with a nice crumb and packs a healthy dose of just what you need. And I don't know what took me so long to use these silicone baking cups - they are amazing if you are baking without oil.

Golden Flaxseed Muffins (makes 6)
preheat oven to 350F

1/4 cup golden flaxseed meal (I used Bob's Red Mill organic)
1/4 cup oat bran
2 tablespoons almond meal (also Bob's)
1 cup brown rice flour (yup, also Bob's)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt
a small carrot
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup walnut halves/bits
2 Tblsp plain coconut yogurt
3/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla)
2 Tblsp maple syrup - more if you like sweet sweet

1. Mix dry ingredients. Finely grate carrot, put in bowl with currants and walnuts.
2. In 2 cup measuring cup add 3/4 cup almond milk, coconut yogurt  and maple syrup stirring until well mixed.
3. Add wet to dry, then textured fruits/veggies to mix quickly and lightly. Plop into 6 silicone muffin cups . Bake at 350 F for 30-40 minutes, testing for doneness by poking the center of one with a toothpick.

If it comes out tacky/sticky bake a few more minutes. The combination of yogurt and carrot keeps the muffins moist on the inside. If you don't like this aspect of the muffin, don't use the coconut milk yogurt, just use almond milk. I put sliced strawberries on top just for fun, but the sweet-tart bites with strawberries were really specially nice.

golden flax muffins Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Muffin (102g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 226 11% Total Fat 9g 13% Saturated Fat 1g 6% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 163mg 7% Total Carbohydrate 36g 12% Dietary Fiber 5g 22% Sugars 8g 0% Protein 6g 12% Vitamin A 6% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 12% • Iron 9% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

VARIATION 1:  For a lower calorie version - I eliminated the  ALMOND MEAL, REDUCED the oat bran to 2 Tablespoons, and walnuts down to a few bits in the tops of each muffin, and ADDED a tsp vanilla. To keep a similar high nutritional value, I used 3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk rather than the almond milk.

Golden Flax Currant Muffins Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Muffin (100g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 207 10% Total Fat 6g 9% Saturated Fat 1g 5% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 150mg 6% Total Carbohydrate 35g 12% Dietary Fiber 5g 20% Sugars 8g 0% Protein 6g 12% Vitamin A 6% • Vitamin C 1% Calcium 9% • Iron 9% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

VARIATION 2 will be without the coconut yogurt -- to see how it goes without the extra moisture.

Kamut apple ginger bread/muffins

Kamut is a form of wheat originally from Iran, that is easier to digest than the common American wheat grain.  It does have some gluten, but higher protein, fiber and trace elements. It's distinct flavor, texture, and longer shelf life makes it appealing. This bread like muffin is the stuff of a cold winter's breakfast kitchen. My kids grew up eating whatever fruit we had chopped and tucked into whatever baked good I pulled together. The request to "write this one down," was the evidence that whatever it turned into was truly successful. So I'm writing this one down, even though I think there are lots of variations to be explored with it. Normally for any "gingerbread" I would use black strap molasses. I refrained this time, using only the powdered spices and maple syrup, since we've been trying not to add refined sugars and I'm just not sure how to categorize molasses, but I'll look into it. My husband ate his with honey, gluing his walnuts onto each slice that way. I ate mine straight up, not needing the extra sweetness.


Kamut Apple Ginger Bread/Muffins
2 cups Kamut flour
1 Tblsp baking powder
2 tsp (or more) cinnamon
1 tsp (or more) ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp salt

1.75 cups unsweetened soy milk (I use West Soy)
3 Tblsp real maple syrup (this is bread like,  if you want it sweet, use more syrup)
1 medium apple chopped = 3/4 cup OR MORE
1/3 cup raisins (or cranberries or chopped apricots or more of any of these)

Walnuts - optional (I threw some on the plate when I served the slices)

1. Mix together all the 7 dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Peel & chop the apple. You could use twice as much apple and this would turn into a marvelous apple-cake bread (I will try this and let you know how it goes.)
3. Pour wet into dry, mix quickly, adding in the fruit.
4. DECIDE if you are making a loaf or muffins.  I tried it as a loaf this morning and the slices were a nice change of pace. Muffins would have more crispy exterior surface proportionally to each serving.
5. Spread tin foil in a pan, or use parchment paper, or use a silicone sheet and shape a loaf, using the back of a fork to mound evenly and make a crinkly texture on the outside (nice for crispiness' sake). If making muffins, use silicone cups with or without muffin tins. Muffins will only need about 15-20 minutes, a loaf form will take 20-25 minutes.
Slice and serve -- good hot. This has a whole-wheat bread like texture, interrupted by the moisture and sweetness of the fruits you use.

Kamut is not for those with celiac disease, but has shown to be more easily digested by people who have inflammatory or allergic tendencies. Here's the nutritional content of 100 grams of the grain. I've long enjoyed Organic Puffed Kamut, sold by Nature's Path - a whole grain cereal as a tasty good source of fiber (50 calories and 2 g dietary fiber for a whole cup of cereal), and excellent vehicle for fresh berries!

"Kamut" Khorasan wheat, uncooked

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,411 kJ (337 kcal)
Carbohydrates	70.38 g
- Starch	52.41 g
- Dietary fibre	9.1 g
Fat	2.20 g
- polyunsaturated	0.616 g
Protein	14.70 g
Water	10.95 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)	0.591 mg (51%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)	0.178 mg (15%)
Vitamin B6	0.255 mg (20%)
Folate (vit. B9)	0 μg (0%)
Vitamin E	0.60 mg (4%)
Iron	4.41 mg (34%)
Magnesium	134 mg (38%)
Phosphorus	386 mg (55%)
Zinc	3.68 mg (39%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Kamut ginger muffins/bread Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (190g) 1/5 loaf/ 2 muffins Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 259 13% Total Fat 2g 4% Saturated Fat 0g 1% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 324mg 13% Total Carbohydrate 56g 19% Dietary Fiber 7g 26% Sugars 16g 0% Protein 8g 15% Vitamin A 4% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 30% • Iron 17% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data.

Cornmeal Cranberry Walnut Sweet Biscuits (no oil)

What could be nicer for breakfast, or to accompany leftover chili or stew than a sweet grainy corn biscuit? It packs its own weight in nutrition with 6 grams of protein and 4 grams fiber.

Cornmeal Cranberry Walnut Sweet Biscuits

Preheat oven to 350F

1 cup whole grain stone ground cornmeal

2 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup chick pea flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1 Tblsp nutritional yeast

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 Tblsp maple syrup

2 Tblsp plain coconut yogurt

1/2 cup chopped dry cranberries (or more)

1/4 cup dried currants (or more)

1. Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. Mix wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl.

3. Chop the dry cranberries a little.

4. Add wet to dry, stir in fruits.

5. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place blobs of batter about 3-4" oval shaped with at least an inch between them. Makes 8 of this size. Bake for 25 minutes. If you make 10-12, then shorten the baking time to 15 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick. If there's still stickiness on the toothpick, leave them in a few more minutes.

Cornmeal Cranberry Sweet Biscuits Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Serving (100g) Amount Per Serving % Daily Value* Calories 243 12% Total Fat 5g 8% Saturated Fat 1g 4% Trans Fat Cholesterol 0% Sodium 60mg 2% Total Carbohydrate 46g 15% Dietary Fiber 4g 16% Sugars 14g 0% Protein 6g 11% Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 8% • Iron 9% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs. courtesy of cronometer.com using my data