Protein Cherry Yogurt Scones

2 grains, 1 fruit, 1 fat, 1 protein

As promised, I am sharing the scone recipe I tried today! I found the recipe on the Fage yogurt website, and it was a total hit!

“THIS IS THE BEST SCONE I’VE EVER HAD….PERFECT!” – Sergei (There you have it folks, this recipe is better than the boxed and store bought scones we’ve tried!)

Instead of using cranberries I used dried cherries and golden raisins. On the next batch I added a cup of oats and made oatmeal raisin scones. The combinations are endless so feel free to make your own and share what you tried!

Cherry Orange Yogurt Scones

Recipe adapted from: fage.com

2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup FAGE Total Classic
1 egg
¼ cup butter, melted*
2 tsp orange zest
½ cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine first four ingredients in one bowl (dry), and the sugar, yogurt, egg, butter, and zest in a separate bowl (wet). Add the wet mixture to the dry and fold in the dried cherries. Make a circular shape with the dough and cut into 8 pieces. Bake scones with at least an inch of space between them for ~15 minutes.

*Can be substituted with Earth Balance

What kind of scones would you like?

Perfect Pumpkin Pie : Veganized

1 fat, 1 fruit, 1 grain, 1/2 protein

Ok, I know it’s spring and traditionally pumpkin pie is served in the fall. But, fall was 6 months ago and I can’t possibly wait another 6 before eating this again! So I made up this excuse for the family as to why I have to make pumpkin pie instead of apple, peach, berry, etc: 

Pumpkin pie will help us watch the spring flowers bloom, while cleansing our bodies from the winter weather.

I use this excuse because pumpkin is high in vitamin A, cancer fighting beta-carotene, and fiber! Not to mention it has been said to help keep the skin wrinkle free, so bring on the sun!

If your family likes pumpkin year round (like me, but unlike my family) just make it because it tastes good.

REALLY good.

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Crust

½ cup unbleached flour

7 Tbs. whole-wheat pastry flour

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. sugar or granulated sugar cane syrup

½ tsp. baking powder

2 Tbs. canola oil

3 Tbs. soy milk plus ½ tsp. lemon juice

2 to 3 Tbs. water

Filling

1 15 oz canned pumpkin

1 cup soy milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 Tbs. dark molasses

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground allspice

>> The Crust: Combine flours, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Separately mix the oil, soy milk and lemon juice. Add the wet and dry ingredients. If it is too dry, add some water. Refrigerate the dough for an hour if you can, otherwise roll it out and line a 9 inch pie pan. Crimp the edges and preheat the oven to 425F while you prepare the filling.

The Filling: Mix all the filling ingredients together until smooth. Pour over the unbaked crust and smooth the top. Bake for 10 mins and then reduce the oven to 350F. Bake for an additional 40-50 minutes, until the filling has set. Let the pie cool, and then refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hrs.

Exchange counts are for 1/8th of the pie. If you’re wondering where the fruit comes from, it’s the sugar in the pie. Ignore this if you need actual fruit in your diet, and not just the sugar.

 

Jamaican Rice and Bean Salad

1/2 fruit, 2 grains, 1 protein, 1/2 vegetable

This may seem random but why do people talk to themselves?

I always feel like I’m doing something wrong when someone talks to themselves. I mean, you’d rather talk to yourself than another actual human being? Haha I’m not that bad am I?!

Most of the time it makes sense not to include others in our personal conversations, but it still makes me wonder why we talk to ourselves.

Just a random thought.

Anyways, we had such good weather earlier this week that today I decided to make a more tropical dish: Jamaican Rice and Bean Salad! The brown rice completes the protein in the beans to make this an extremely balanced meal with almost all of the food groups covered.

1/2 cup cooked brown rice [1 grain]

1/2 cup black beans [1 grain, 1 protein]

1 tbsp red onion, chopped

3 tbsp red/yellow pepper, chopped [1/2 vegetable]

1/4 cup pineapple, chopped [1/2 fruit]

1 tsp lime juice

salt & pepper to taste

>>Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Serve chilled or fry in a skillet with 1 tsp oil.