Almond Chia Chocolate Scones (Gluten Free & Vegan)

I remember the first time I had a scone. I was in college at the student union. There was a coffee shop that sold a variety of huge scones. One day I decided to try the pumpkin scone with frosting and thought it was amazing. Next I had the maple brown sugar scone and I was totally sold on scones. I loved the biscuit like texture that melts in your mouth and isn't overly sweet. I probably had far too many scones over the years at WSU. After college, I starting making them myself, experimenting with ingredients and recipes. I tried cutting back on the butter, adding whole wheat flour, add oats, nuts and dried fruit, using less sugar, etc.  For several years my scones would show up for weekend breakfasts and family functions. I would make mini scones, freeze them and have them with my coffee each morning. A few weekends ago I was having company and once again thought about scones. I realized that I hadn't made any in a while, quite possibly a few years. I guess I have been making more breakfast breads and muffins instead. I had brought some almond flour at Trader Joe's wanting to try some more gluten free baking. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. Once I got started I realized that we were completely out of eggs! Instead, I used a chia seed slurry to replace an egg. You could substitute ground flax as well or 1 whole egg. This scones turned out pretty well. They are on the softer end of scone spectrum- they do not have that slightly hard biscuit-like texture- but they are still delicious and great with morning coffee. Enjoy!

Almond Chia Chocolate Scones
Adapted from Elana's Pantry

2 cups almond flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
zest from 1 orange
1 tbsp ground chia
3 tbsp water
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup brown sugar (or you could use 3 tbsp agave as Elana's recipe does)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, zest, brown sugar (if using) and chocolate chips in a large bowl
2. In a small bowl combine the chia and water and mix together. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes
3. Add chia mixture and milk (add agave at this point if using) to dry ingredients and mix together. You may have to use your hand to get everything fully incorporated. Once combined, sprinkle some flour on the counter and pour contents of bowl onto the counter. Knead several times until everything is evenly combined.
4. Flatten dough into a circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the circle into 8 pieces. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until starting to brown.

Whole Grain Waffles

I love Saturday mornings. We get up late and I make a big breakfast. We take our time drinking coffee and eating- just enjoying a slower pace from the week days. Today I decided to try a new recipe for waffles. It is a whole grain recipe that also happens to be gluten free. Right now gluten free is kind of trendy and even a supposed weight loss diet. Gluten is the storage protein that is found in wheat, barley and rye. It is not bad for your body, but it is a large molecule that can be hard to digest, especially in large quantities. Some people have celiac disease, in which they have an autoimmune response to gluten that causes malnutrition. For them, avoiding gluten is vital to their health. For others, they may have gluten sensitivity or intolerance and when they avoid gluten their digestive system works better. For most of us, gluten is the most prominent grain in our diet. In ancient times I am certain that people ate a greater variety of grains than we do today. Their diets included things like quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, and teff. We rarely see many of those grains today. Instead we have focused on wheat and so most packaged and processed products from soup to cheese include wheat to thicken, prevent caking, etc besides our normal intake of breads, pasta, cereals, crackers and baked goods. 
Does following a gluten free diet help you loose weight? Not necessarily. Most packaged and processed gluten free foods contain more fat and sugar than regular products. The people who are loosing weight eating gluten free are doing so because most likely they are eating less starches and more vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products (all naturally gluten-free). Something all of use could do on a regular gluten containing diet. 
 I tried these gluten free waffles today because they are full of whole grains and fiber. I did a nutrition analysis on the recipe. Per waffle: 67 calories, 2g of fat, 8g carbohydrate, 1g dietary fiber, 1g sugar, 3g protein. The same size waffle prepared from a mix contains 103 calories, 5g fat, 15g carbohydrates, .4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar, 3g protein. So this gluten free waffle definitely wins nutritionally. And, it also tasted pretty good- there was a slight nuttiness from the quinoa that I didn't mind at all. They initially were a little soft coming out of the waffle iron, but putting them in the oven gave them a nice crispy outside with a soft, chewy inside that a waffle should have.  I topped one with Greek yogurt and blueberries and another one with Nutella- delicious! Enjoy!


Whole Grain Waffles
adapted from Simply Sugar & Gluten Free
*Start this recipe the night before as the batter needs to sit for about 12 hours


1 1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp almond extract1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


1. In a blender or food processor, combine quinoa, oats, milk, vinegar, olive oil, vanilla and almond extract. Blend for about 3 minutes. Let sit over night at room temperature. 
2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a cookie sheet over a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Preheat waffle iron and coat with non-stick spray. 
3. To the waffle batter, add egg, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Blend for 2-3 minutes until well combined. 
4. Cook waffles in waffle iron. Place cooked waffles in the oven to stay warm and crispy until ready to eat. Top with favorite toppings.   

Quinoa Zucchini Salad and My New Favorite Snack

Ah summer! I have always loved all of the fresh fruits during the summer- sweet nectarines, juicy plumbs, and all of the delicious berries. I like fresh vegetables too, but never have I liked them as much as this summer! I am attempting to grown my own tomatoes, pepper, onions, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. Some of the first zucchini, green beans, and cucumbers have been ready this week. They have been amazingly good! Zucchini is growing the fastest and so I am throwing it into everything- frittata's, bread, muffins, and now quinoa.

This afternoon I had my bi-monthly Celiac Support Group. When we meet everyone brings a gluten-free dish to share and we all just talk about the food, new GF products and recent restaurant experiences. I wasn't sure what I was going to bring- I thought about safe items like a veggie tray and fresh fruit,  but then I remembered all of the quinoa I have in the pantry. I love quinoa and I really feel like it is a food everyone should know about and at least try once. It is actually a seed and not a grain, but it cooks up a lot like couscous. It is a complete protein and I especially like it for a summer lunch salad. It can be served hot or cold and typically I make it into a tabouli. I am constantly telling patients, especially the ones with Celiac Disease about it and especially around here no one really knows what it is or what to do with it. This was a perfect opportunity to make people try it! I didn't have enough tomatoes, cucumber, or olives to make my usual tabouli, so I used what I have in abundance- zucchini.

I decided to cook the zucchini in a cast iron skillet so that it would get brown, grilling it would also work great. I had some garbanzo beans handy, so I roasted those in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. They were incredible! Roasted in the oven, the skins become browned and crispy while the center becomes soft and creamy. Amazing! The paprika also gives them a smoky flavor and they almost didn't make it into the salad because I kept popping them into my mouth. This is going to become a new staple snack of mine I think. Those combined, with the cooked zucchini, quinoa, lemon and fresh herbs really turned about to be delicious. Some feta or goat cheese crumbles would also have been great with this. This could be served warm or chilled, but the flavors do develop more after sitting for several hours.If you have not tried quinoa yet, this might be the recipe to try out this summer. If you have tried quinoa, please share how you like to serve it. Enjoy!

Quinoa Zucchini Salad

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and dried
1 medium zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch coins
2 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slices or diced
handful of fresh parsley, chopped
2 sprigs fresh mint, chopped
handful of fresh basil, chopped
olive oil
1 tsp lemon zest
juice from 1/2 of one lemon
salt
pepper
smoked paprika

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place garbanzo beans on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika and toss to combine. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes or until browned, turning half-way through.

2. Combine chicken broth and quinoa in a small pot. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork and allow to cool slightly.

3. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in cast iron skillet or non-stick pan. Saute garlic until aromatic and starting to brown. Add zucchini and cook on both sides until bowned, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool. Cut coins into quarters.

3. Combine quinoa, zucchini, garlic and beans. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Add zest, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Chill for several hours or overnight.

Black Bean Brownies

 

I LOVE brownies. I seriously think they are by far one of the best dessert options. They are moist and super chocolaty. Nothing goes better with a dish of vanilla ice cream than a  warm chocolate brownie. It is hard to eat only one and unfortunately they really do not have the most nutritious qualities to them. But, now meet the black bean brownie, complete with dietary fiber, lean protein, and heart healthy fats (mostly). It is practically a health food! :) This brownie is so moist it literally melts in your mouth. It is made entirely in the food processor which I love and also does not contain any flour. As much as I wish I had thought to create this, I can not take credit for this recipe. I facilitate a suport group for people with Celiac Disease that meets bi-monthly in our community. Several months ago we had a gluten-free potluck and this was one of the dishes we sampled that day. I am not sure where this recipe originated from, but I have been making them faithfully since that day. They are surprisingly delicious and I hope you will love them as much as I do! Enjoy!

Black Bean Brownies
- 1 15 1/2 ounce can black beans, drained and well rinsed
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
-1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch baking pan with nonstick cook spray and set aside
2. Place the black beans in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add eggs, oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, peppermint extract, baking powerder and salt and process until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the chips and pulse a few times until the chips are combined.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate chips
4. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until edges start to pull away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan before slicing.

Nutrition information: 120 calories, 5g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 95mg sodium, 18g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 3g protein