Blissful Bites (10 page)

These aren't your typical scones made with white flour, tons of sugar, and butter. They are more healthy and wholesome yet really delicious, and will not send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride.

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cup raw pecans

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cup raw almonds

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cup rolled oats

2 cups barley flour (or other whole-grain flour), plus more for pan

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teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

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cup unsweetened applesauce

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cup maple syrup, plus 2 tablespoons for topping

2 tablespoons safflower oil or coconut oil, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring

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cup chopped pecans or almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place first three ingredients in a food processor and process until mixture becomes a meal and no chunks remain. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and combine with the rest of the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients except for the 2 tablespoons maple syrup, then add to the dry ingredients; lastly, fold in the nuts. Mix together until it forms a firm dough ball–I usually use my hands toward the end. Sprinkle a little flour onto the parchment paper and transfer the dough to the sheet. Gently press the dough into an eight-inch circle, then cut into eight pieces with a sharp knife. You do not need to separate the wedges.

Glaze the tops with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly, then transfer to a cooling rack. These are great alone or served with
apricot-blueberry fruit compote
, on page 49.

• Makes 2 to 4 servings

This is a great porridge to make when you have grains left over. You can do any combination of grains, or all brown rice is good too.

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup unsweetened almond or rice milk

Handful raisins (optional)

Pinch sea salt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Generous dash cinnamon

Walnuts, toasted, for garnish

Put all the ingredients, except the walnuts, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more milk as necessary to get the consistency you prefer. Serve immediately in bowls garnished with nuts.

• Makes about 12 four-inch-round pancakes

Growing up with my dad, we only had pancakes made with Bisquick. I've come a long way since those days, and this pancake is the tastiest I've made since going vegan. You may need to add more milk (perhaps up to
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cup more) to get the right consistency, so the pancakes cook all the way through.

Oil spray, for pan

1
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cups brown rice flour

1
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teaspoons baking powder

Pinch sea salt

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teaspoon cinnamon

1
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cups unsweetened almond, rice, or soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

2 ripe bananas, mashed

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cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mash banana well with a fork and stir into wet. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Stir in nuts if using.

Heat skillet and spray with oil. Pour about
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cup pancake batter into skillet over medium flame. When you start to see bubbles forming and the edges getting done, it's time to flip the pancake. Heat on other side for two minutes and remove from skillet. Repeat with the rest of the pancake batter.

• Makes 4 to 6 servings

One of my favorite cafés in Los Angeles has a vegan benedict that needed some work so I decided to make my own version. I'm delighted by the way it turned out! I've never eaten real “eggs benedict” before, so I'm not sure how close this is to the real thing, but it doesn't really matter because it's awesome!

8 slices gluten-free bread, toasted

2 tomatoes, sliced
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-inch thick

1 bunch kale, chopped and blanched

Southwest tofu scramble
(page 53) made with 1 teaspoon each of oregano and marjoram instead of cumin and chili powder

no-oil hollandaise sauce

Makes about 2 cups

1 package Mori Nu silken tofu

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cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon white or yellow miso

2 tablespoons tamari

1 lemon, juiced

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teaspoon turmeric

Dash black pepper

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teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon arrowroot

Unsweetened nondairy milk, as needed (to thin sauce)

Blend all sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth and no lumps remain.

to assemble the benedict:

Place toasted bread on a plate. Layer with tomato slices and kale, then tofu scramble.