My husband and I (no, not that one) were having our usual late afternoon dilemma about what to have for dinner. It was freezing cold, we had the woodburner going and neither of us wanted to move to the kitchen, which is much colder as it’s in the flat-roofed extension. I began musing about dumplings. I haven’t had them for years. On the whole, I don’t go much for starchy foods and I’d rather fill up on fresh veg, salad, fruit or hummus than on bread, pancakes, pizza base etc. But today, I was besotted with the idea of casserole and dumplings.
However, as the beady-eyed ones among you will have noticed, this recipe is for scones not dumplings: I chickened out from putting them in the casserole as it was the first time I’d tried making them since becoming vegan and gluten-free, and I didn’t want to risk ruining the casserole if they didn’t turn out well. So I made the mixture into scones and cooked them separately, but I’m confident – well, sort of – that they will work as dumplings, too. Just make the recipe with a little less liquid to make them firmer and roll into balls or cut into thinner scones and layer over the top of the casserole (I haven’t tried that yet).
You will also notice that I titled the recipe Cheese and Herb scones, when I specify cumin in the ingredients list, but you can use whatever herb or spice you want. I chose cumin as that was what I put in the black bean casserole they would be accompanying.
I used a mixture of flours, I’m sure any combination would work providing the majority of it is Self-Raising. I like to add different organic glutenfree flours to the commercial SR flour to provide more nutrients. I discovered chestnut flour a year or so ago when I bought it just to try it, and I added it to bread recipes and Carrot, Apple & Spice Cakes with Cashew Frosting.
It works well and has a sweet taste. I use it sparingly to make it last. I also added some Tiger Nut Powder*, which is very fine tiger nut flour, it’s also a little sweet and gives some texture too. But as I said, you can make up your own mix.
The recipe suggests rice milk because it’s thin and doesn’t have a strong flavour, I wanted them to be as light as possible.
These scones have protein, healthy fats, calcium, b vitamins and minerals, no refined sugar or jam in sight! I also had them as a snack with Bute Island Foods’ vegan mature cheddar ‘cheese’, (made from coconut oil and soya protein), they were delicious and very filling. They also freeze well.
***
Ingredients
(vegan, gluten-free, organic where possible, quantities are approximate)
5oz G/F SR Flour
2oz Chestnut Flour
1oz Tiger Nut Powder
1 Heaped Tsp G/F Baking Powder
2oz Solid Coconut Oil, soft enough to rub into the flour
2 Tbsps Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1 Tsp Dried Cumin
1 Tbsp Ground Golden Linseeds
Pink Himalayan Salt & Black Pepper to taste
1 Chia Egg (1 Tbsp Chia Seeds mixed with 3 Tbsps Water and left to stand for 10-15 minutes)**
Enough rice milk to make the mixture bind together and still be a bit sticky.
Method
Sieve the flours and baking powder into a bowl
Add nutritional yeast flakes, golden linseeds, salt and pepper and mix in
Add coconut oil and mix in well with finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs, it takes a while but it’s worth taking the time
In a well in the middle, add chia egg and a little rice milk
Stir it together with a round-bladed knife to begin with and then get in there with your fingers and work all the mixture together, adding a little rice milk at a time until it all comes together in a ball
Knead a little until it is smooth and will roll, but it needs to be a little sticky too
Spread a fine layer of flour on a board and a rolling pin
Gently press and turn until your dough is a nice round, about an inch high or a little more – too thin and they will be dry and crunchy
Use either a cutter or a cup to cut out approx. 6 round scones or a knife to make triangle wedges
Lightly grease a baking tray, brush a little milk on the tops, and cook at approx. 200C for about 10-12 minutes, until risen and splitting, golden on top but a little soft in the middle
Cool them a little on a wire grid
Eat warm as they are, or with a savoury spread or vegan cheese. We’ve had them with a black bean, cumin and winter veg casserole and Ginger-Spiced Squash & Apple Soup
They were tasty, moist and very filling.
**Three Cheers for Chias! What Are Chia Seeds & How Do I Use Them? Recipes included
Copyright: Chris McGowan
We had a small squash in our veg box last week and this afternoon I was cold to the bone after venturing outside for a short walk – I think it was 5C – so I decided to use the squash in some soup. The squash had been sitting chopped up in the fridge for a couple of days and needed to be used. My husband does it for me and leaves it in the fridge so it’s available when I want to use it.
Cook on the lowest heat for about 25-30 minutes, until everything is cooked but not mushy.
I can’t describe how heavenly this is! I surprised myself, even though I love carob. This is one of those thick smoothies that can be served for breakfast or dessert. It’s very filling so maybe split between two if having it after a meal.
My husband is vegetarian, I am vegan. I like to eat early, he likes to eat late. He likes potatoes, I don’t eat them (except for a rare and indulgent packet of potato crisps). He likes pies and pastry and chips. I prefer quinoa, stirfries and soups. He often does bike rides during the day or in the evening which also creates a dissonance in our eating habits, as does my propensity for staying up late and getting up even later! So how on earth do we manage to co-ordinate our meals? Well, a lot of the time, we each do our own thing, but just occasionally we manage to be at the dinner table together and once in a blue moon we end up with something on our plates that almost resembles the other’s. This was one of those nights, no bike rides and the clocks had just gone back, so we both felt we wanted to eat earlier than the clock dictated. I don’t know about you, but my body takes ages to adjust when the clocks change.
When all are cooked, add a little thickening to the vegetables, mash the sweet potatoes in a warm dish, then mix in a heaping teaspoon of almond butter, some pink Himalayan salt and black pepper and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes.
It’s been a long time since I had pizza. To be honest, it was the melted cheese I liked, so when I became gluten-free and tried commerical free-from pizza (and found it disgusting), I stopped eating them. Going vegan therefore made no difference. But just occasionally I’d like to be able to have some, especially when the family are here. There isn’t time to make a one-off just for me, so I usually miss out. (Elsewhere in this blog is a recipe for 
Flour the surface and rolling pin well, and roll gently until you can lift it without it breaking – don’t overstretch it – and place it on a pizza tray – one with holes in so both sides will cook without having to turn it over. (I tried turning it and it stuck, best to leave it in situ for the full cooking time). Once on the tray, press it with your fingertips so that it spreads more thinly and becomes the shape you want.
Serve with green salad and/or 
Over the last couple of years, since I first became aware of the arsenic content of rice,* I have gradually cut down the amount I eat and swapped rice milk for homemade nut and seed milks**. I often use quinoa and buckwheat as gluten-free alternatives to rice. However, one option has taken some psyching up to try: cauliflower ‘rice’ or ‘couscous’. Recently, I decided to go for it and here’s how it turned out, plus the recipe (the hardest part was persuading my husband it was a good idea!).
I was feeling a bit sorry for myself when I came downstairs, suffering horrible back pain, no sleep, gloomy sky, prospect of rain, drop in temperatures. I was also very hungry, having gone to bed early evening and not getting up until 14 hours later. That did it, I needed chocolate and I needed it fast. Chocolate? For breakfast? Absolutely!
It’s no secret that I love avocados. I eat them in some form or other every single day: blended with juices, smashed on corncakes or toast with tomato and chilli powder, as a dip or dressing with crudités or salad (see photo) as a sauce with pasta, even in chocolate mousse! (There are recipes in the Menu at the top of the page).
Cauliflower is my favourite vegetable, but for some reason it doesn’t appear regularly on the family food order, so I find myself making a special request when I realise we haven’t had it for some time. Our local Waitrose isn’t too hot on organic foods and there’s no farmers’ market, so if we forget to include cauliflower in our weekly Ocado order, we have to wait another week.
pearsnotparsnipsdotcom 
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