Recipe for Health: Scones

I love scones. The firm, but doughy texture, the crunchy sugar crystals sparking on top, I even love the shape of them. But when I discovered that my favorite Starbucks scones contained about 460 calories, 12 grams of saturated fat, over 60 carbs, and 25% of my daily cholesterol, that love affair quickly died. My years of sconelessness ended when I found this recipe, and I am happy to say that I love them more now than ever before!

These scones are vegan, meaning that they are made using no animal products or by-products. No eggs and butter, which cuts the calories and fat by more than half of a coffee shop scone. Don't let the word "vegan" scare you - if you love scones, you will love this versatile recipe!

Vegan Scones
adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance 
 
3 C whole wheat flour
2 T baking powder
1/4 C sugar (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
1/4 t salt
1/3 C oil (I use olive)
1 1/4 C soy milk plus 2 T cider vinegar mixed in (I use vanilla soy milk; rice milk also works)

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the oil and milk, stir until just combined (dough should be lumpy; even if there's a light dusting of flour, that's okay). Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto cookie sheet, not touching. Gently pat the tops to flatten them out just a bit; sprinkle with a bit of sugar if you want, but just a bit! Bake 12-15 minutes until slightly browned on the bottom and firm on the top.

Variations: You can do just about anything with these! Add 1 C of berries, walnuts with a little maple extract, pumpkin puree, chocolate chips - the possibilities are endless!