Home is where you make it

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I started making these breakfast scones shortly after our sons were born.

I wanted to begin Christmas morning on a memorable note and create a tradition that we could all look forward to year after year.

Since then, we’ve added bits and pieces to our culinary repertoire, some have dropped off and some have endured, including these little rustic country-style biscuits that stand out in my mind as one of our first celebratory rituals. I can still picture our boys in their younger years licking their lips with jam covered cheeks.

I remember their footsteps on those cold Christmas mornings, the thunder of tiny feet rushing along the old wood floors to climb into bed with mom and dad. The sun not yet up, the streets lit with snow.  A series of frenzied hugs full of giggles and jumps, arms flung, legs tangled, one more snuggle underneath the warmth sheets. One more chance to hold the fleeting moment.

It’s hard to believe these little tigers are now burgeoning young men. One almost 16 (I have no idea how that happened) and the other, 13.

It will be a different Christmas for us this year; we are a long way from where we started but that is not to say that we are not home.

We will carry our families in our hearts and celebrate our traditions with the same spirit and gratefulness as always.

Today I’m sharing a little piece of that tradition with you. Since everyone has a different idea of what a scone or biscuit is, (I can just hear my British friend Charles chiming in now), I will describe these scones as very subtly sweet, relatively dense and coarsely textured owing largely to the oatmeal. They are full-bodied and complex. If you are looking for a high-rise, light, airy, fluffy and puffy biscuit, these are not your morning glory.

Some of our favorite toppings include sharp cheese and hot pepper jelly as well as ricotta and various types of jam.  These scones are also delicious any other time of day, of course, but we especially delight in them in the morning to kick-off our holiday festivities.

I hope you will enjoy these scones if you give them a try sometime along with your own favourite holiday traditions.

Be sure to read the Nutrition and Cooking Notes for best results and, to my family, friends and supporters in Canada, please keep those beautiful snow-covered pictures coming!

Oatmeal Buttermilk Breakfast Scones with Cranberry and Pistachio

Oatmeal Buttermilk Breakfast Scones with Cranberry and Pistachio

• 1 + 3/4 cups (420 mL) spelt flour (or flour of choice)
• 2 cups (500 mL) 100% pure rolled oats
• 4 Tbsp (60 mL) demerara sugar, substitute brown sugar
• 2 + 1/2 tsp (12.5 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) baking soda
• 12 Tbsp (3/4 cup/170 grams) chilled coconut oil or old fashioned butter, cut into piece
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) buttermilk + a touch for brushing tops of scones
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp (15 mL) orange zest
• 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries + handful for decorating top of dough
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) pistachios, shelled and chopped + another pinch for decorating top of dough

Makes about 16-18 biscuits

Nutrition and Cooking Notes:

1. You can experiment with different flours of choice here to accompany the oats including gluten free grains.
2. Make Ahead Option: I generally freeze the scones (cut into shape but unbaked) in an airtight container or ziploc bag a week or two before Christmas.  Simply defrost in fridge overnight and bake in the morning.  The scones are best eaten shortly after they are baked (and the same day).
3. If you are accustomed to a sweeter scone, I recommend sprinkling the tops of the scones with a dusting of sugar before baking — you will get more taste this way without driving up the sugar level significantly (same applies to salting at the end of cooking rather than the whole way through a recipe).
4. I cannot emphasize enough how different oven temperatures will create different cooking times for these scones.  My former gas stove at home would easily tolerate 400 F for 18-20 minutes for these scones.  That temperature in the oven I’m using here fried my biscuits on the first run through :(.  I had to go with 375 F,  position the rack in the middle of the oven and the biscuits were done in about 10-12 minutes.  If you know your oven to be hotter than the average, please be aware of this.
5. I added the bulk of the cranberry and pistachio to the food processor (rather than mixing them in following) as an experiment and it created a great effect — the dough was speckled with little bits of cranberry which I thought was both visually appealing and festive. I then added just a few larger pieces of cranberry and pistachio to the top of the dough surface (since we also like chunky pieces).  If you prefer to keep everything chunky, simply add the cranberry and pistachio following the processor part (described below).

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender/food processor and pulse until combined. 
3. Add 1/2 cup cranberries, 1/3 cup pistachio and the coconut oil or butter and pulse until coarse meal forms. Transfer to a large bowl. (Note: the blender/food processor will grind your fruit/nuts into tiny bits. If you prefer to keep your cranberries/pistachios larger sized, simply add to ‘dry’ ingredient bowl following the processing part).
4. In a separate smaller bowl, combine: buttermilk, egg, orange zest and vanilla, whisking to combine.
5. Add wet ingredients to ‘dry’ ingredients and mix with a fork just until dough forms — do not overmix. If the dough is too wet or too dry simply add a small amount of flour/oatmeal or buttermilk as required (it’s helpful to have some extra flour/oatmeal as well as buttermilk beside you in case you need to make adjustments).
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead four or five times. Spread and pat the dough out into a 3/4-inch thick (approximate) round. 
7. Cut out as many scones as possible using a 2 + 1/4-inch (or so) cookie cutter (a small glass or inverted wine glass will work just fine). 
8. Gather scraps, reshape, and cut out more scones. 
9. Transfer scones to a gently floured baking sheet/s and brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle of sugar, if desired.
10. Bake scones until just golden, about 12-18 minutes, in the middle of the oven  (watch carefully as oven temperatures will vary – see notes above).
11. Allow scones to cool slightly before relishing! 

© Inspired Edibles

 

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I love a good cornbread straight from the oven with generous chunks of spicy jalapeno and a warm pat of melting butter (I mean, who doesn’t right?) but lately I’ve had visions of plump, juicy black beans tossed into the mix.

I’ve been imagining these perky fibre-rich fellows dotting the muffin tops for months now – some dipping below the surface some dancing on top – and finally had an opportunity to act out my fantasy ;0).

And since I was busy transforming, I decided to amp things up further by pairing the lovely coarse texture of cornmeal with another full-bodied big boy in the form of the nutty quinoa seed.

I tell you it was like discovering a couple of long lost family members.

Where have you been all my life?

So happy with the result. These muffins not only taste delish they are also packed full of nutrients to the point of being a mini-meal.  Perfect on their own as a hearty snack (great grab-n-go) or for dunking in soups, stews and chilis.

Unlike many other bready things that will send insulin levels surging, enhance sugar cravings and efficiently store body fat (three for the price of one!), these little puppies pack over 10 grams of protein and 4.9 grams of fibre in every serving keeping them low on the glycemic index, which in turn helps keep our blood sugar levels stable, our tummies satisfied and our moods humming along happily.

A beautiful thing!

Quinoa Cornbread with Black Beans, Arugula and Parmesan (Gluten Free)

• 1 + 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 + 1/4 cups whole grain cornmeal (I used medium grind)
• 1 cup cooked black beans, thoroughly rinsed if using canned
• 1.5 ounces (40 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar or sugar of choice
• 1 Tbsp finely minced fresh arugula + more for topping
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup milk or milk beverage substitute of choice
• 2 eggs
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced (or to taste)
• 4 Tbsp olive oil

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Serving: Makes 12 regular sized muffins

Notes:

Quinoa increases about 4 times in volume when cooked. A 1/2 cup of dry quinoa should generate about 2 cups of cooked quinoa. I used 1 cup of dry when preparing this recipe to create leftovers for quinoa salad.  Simply pop leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

If heat is not your thing, simply skip the jalapeno pepper and add another tablespoon of minced arugula if you wish.  I like using fresh jalapeno peppers but you could equally use bottled and sliced jalapeno peppers here.

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 F

Cook quinoa according to package directions (generally 1:2 ratio quinoa to water) and allow the cooked quinoa to cool.

In a large bowl combine cooked and cooled quinoa, cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and arugula stirring to combine.  Add 3/4 cup black beans (reserving the other 1/4 cup for topping) and stir gently to combine taking care not to mash the beans.

In a separate bowl lightly beat eggs and whisk in milk, jalapeno peppers and olive oil.

Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among 12 gently oiled muffin cups (I like to use silicone liners).  Top each muffin with a few more black beans and some additional pieces of torn arugula.

 

Place quinoa cornmeal muffins in oven and bake for 18-20 or until firm to the touch and golden brown.

Allow muffins to cool (slightly ;o) before unmoulding – enjoy!

 

• 1 heaping cup raw almonds or any other nut of choice
• 1/2 heaping cup dried, pitted dates that have been soaked in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften (substitute dried cherries, figs or prunes for dates)
• 1/3 cup just nuts walnut butter or nut butter of choice
• 3 heaping Tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp honey or pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dried cranberry

Happy Friday everyone, I’m going to be taking some time off to enjoy the March break with my family next week.  See you again soon.

• 1 + ½ cups quinoa flour
• 1/3 cup packed ground walnut
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup pitted dates, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar, substitute a coarse grain sugar
• 1 cup fresh apricot, chopped
• 2 large or 3 medium size bananas, mashed + 12 slices for topping
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, gently beaten
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1/4 cup quinoa flakes for topping
• 1/4 cup pepitas for topping

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Notes:

Many large grocers now stock a variety of flours and sugars however you can also find these items at health food stores.

I use a dedicated coffee grinder to grind nuts and seeds because my large blender is not effective in the least at this task (I’m overdue for a multi-function blender upgrade) but, in the meantime, the coffee grinder works pretty well for me.

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Directions:

Makes 12 regular sized muffins

Heat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa flour, ground walnut, baking powder, cinnamon, dates and palm sugar, mixing to combine.  Add the fresh apricot and mix gently taking care not to mash the fruit.

In a separate smaller bowl, combine the bananas, vanilla, eggs, coconut milk and olive oil, mixing well to combine.

Add wet ingredients to dry, mixing just until combined.

Divide batter among 12 paper-lined muffin cups that have been dabbed with olive oil.  Place a slice of banana in the center of each muffin and sprinkle with pepitas and quinoa flakes.

Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until muffins are cooked through.

Allow muffins to cool on a rack for 10 minutes or so before enjoying.  (I sprinkled a few more quinoa flakes on top of the muffins for presentation).

Store muffins in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month or so.