Appetizers Archives - Eat Simply, Eat Well

Vegan Coconut Scones

August 18, 2016 by aplough

Do you love baked goods but just kind of wish some of them were a little healthier? These vegan coconut scones are the answer to that.

I have to admit: I love baking. I love the process of creating the product; love the smell of it baking in the oven; love the moment when the timer dings and I can pull that delicious thing out of the oven to barely cool before digging in. Don’t you?

But nowadays I try to really limit white flour and sugars, many of my old baking favorites need to be reworked in order to fit into my new way of eating. It doesn’t always work out well. Sometimes, using an alternative for the flours or a different kind of sugar or choosing to leave out eggs can make it really difficult to create a successful product. (As a full disclaimer: I do use eggs – often. They are a great source of protein, and a staple in my diet – I just didn’t want to use them here.). The risk is the product won’t hold together and instead, you’ll have a crumbling mess instead of a cookie, muffin or cake. Or, you’ll change out the sugar and you’ll have a puffy product where you wanted a flat one or a chewy product when you’d been hoping for cakey. It’s tricky sometimes, but so worth experimenting with to find out what works.

I was craving scones. I wanted something that could replace both a biscuit and the sweeter scones often served with coffee or tea, but also wanted to experiment with using coconut oil to replace butter and plant-based milk to replace cow’s milk. I wanted something that was delicious all on it’s own, but suitable with everything.

Could I make these vegan? Turns out, yes I could. And since coconut itself has a natural sweetness, I opted to take the (small) risk of leaving out the sugar as well.

The results are really delicious.

These simple, healthy, vegan coconut scones are super versatile: you can take them to the sweet side with a mixed berry chia jam (or any other jam of choice) or work them into a savory meal and serve them with one of your favorite soups.

Packed with good fats, all the fiber and nutrients of whole grains, and no added sugar, eggs, or dairy, you’ll find that these suit pretty much any occasion. If you or someone you’ll be serving these to has a gluten sensitivity – no problem! Simply substitute your preferred gluten-free flour mix for the whole wheat flour. If you can, try to get a gluten-free mix that contains a lot of whole grains so that you’ll be getting good nutrients and fiber from the flour. Unfortunately, a lot of commercial gluten-free flour mixes use refined flours, and while gluten-free, are really just another form of junk food.

Note: you’ll be using a chilled can of coconut milk with this, so, pop one in the fridge in the morning of or the night before the day you want to make these. Sorry – but that small hassle is worth it!

Vegan Coconut Scones

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold coconut creme (from chilled can of coconut milk)
1/4 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut water (from chilled can of coconut milk)
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil + 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut for the tops of the scones

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, coconut, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized baking bowl. Add the coconut creme and coconut oil, and use a pastry blender or fork to mix the fats into the flour until the mixture forms lumps about the size of peas. Pour in the coconut water and stir until it begins to clump.

Gather the mixture in your hands and gently press it into a ball. Transfer the ball of dough to the baking sheet and press it into a 1″/2.5 cm high round disk. Cut the disk into 8 even triangles. Separate the triangles and space them out evenly on your baking tray. Brush the top and sides of each scone with coconut oil and sprinkle desiccated coconut over the top of each one. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.

Makes 8 scones.

Did you like this recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Eat Simply, Eat Well,

Ann

10 Tomato Recipes To Make Today

June 29, 2016 by aplough

Tomato recipes. Can you ever have too many? Nope, me neither. Especially right now.

Summer is in full swing even where I am, way up north, which means I’ve been on the hunt for good tomato recipes. Just this week I’ve picked the first cherry tomatoes from my own garden: 4 perfectly ripe, juicy, red tomatoes – sun-ripened, wind blown – perfect. I dusted them off on a clean corner of my garden shirt and popped them in my mouth, one by one, enjoying the explosion of flavor as I stood in the heat of the morning sun, soft breeze whispering through the leaves of the plants around me, and watching with amusement as our little bird friend tried desperately to peck through the net we’d placed over the strawberries.

Tomatoes. You wait and wait and wait…and with good luck and sunshine, all of a sudden the garden begins to explode with them and you’re searching for ways to make good use of and to save your bounty. The same is true if you’re visiting your local farmer’s market: suddenly there are tomatoes in abundance at good prices. These luscious beauties are nice to have around year round, offering their vibrant colors, deep tangy flavors and serious health benefits to your daily meals.

I’ve rounded up 10 tomato recipes to help you enjoy your tomatoes – either for meals to eat today or recipes to preserve them now and eat them later, when the cold Winter winds are howling around you. Right now, they are so abundant – you’ll find yourself eating them fresh; freezing; canning; jamming – which ever way you use them, start now! There’s never been a better time.

Go ahead – roll up your sleeves, grab your tomatoes, and get ready for some delicious meals ahead.

Eat Simply, Eat Well,

Ann

What are your favorite tomato recipes for summer tomatoes? Do you can/freeze/preserve them? Let us know in the comments below!

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Roasted Butternut Squash Smørrebrød w/ Feta & Thyme

December 2, 2015 by aplough

If you’ve ever visited Denmark, you know you can’t walk very far in that beautiful city without seeing a sign for smørrebrød – the popular Danish open sandwich. A traditional Danish food of buttered rye bread with some kind of savory topping, smørrebrød is a fantastic way to start off a meal, perfect for serving as finger food at a party, or even, if you wish, it can stand in as a main course for a simple supper alongside a salad.

Traditional toppings for the smørrebrød served all over Copenhagen during a recent visit included raw smoked salmon (gravlax), pickled herring, savory and sweet dill pickles, goat cheese with pear, boiled potato with capers; seared rare beef slices and so on. It was rare to see a smørrebrød that was strictly vegetarian; though I would imagine that in a city of extraordinary gastronomic talent with imaginative combinations of various ingredients from land and sea, it was just a matter of knowing where to look.

If you haven’t tried this satisfying little sandwich, you’re missing out! It’s delicious, and the only limit to the topping options is your imagination.

Back home, I was preparing finger food for a party of 50, and decided that in honor of my recent trip to Denmark and the fact that the party fell on the day America celebrated Thanksgiving, to combine a little bit of my homeland with a little bit of my Danish roots, and created a colorful and flavorful vegetarian smørrebrød for the crowd to enjoy.

This version includes roasted butternut, feta cheese and thyme over both archipelago bread (saaristolaisleipä) – a sweet rye bread found in southern Finland as well as whole wheat sourdough. Both versions were delicious, and I’d be happy to eat either one, or both, again soon!

This dish is great served slightly warm, at room temperature, or cold. The butternut squash mixture can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated, but the smørrebrød should be assembled no more than 2 hours before serving. I sprinkled mine with flaky black sea salt, which is an optional but highly recommended addition. Maldon sea salt would also work, as would smoked grey sea salt.

Roasted Butternut Squash Smørrebrød w/ Feta & Thyme

1 large butternut squash
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons chopped thyme
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 – 150g block feta cheese, broken into small pieces with a fork
1 bunch fresh thyme, finely chopped
olive oil
black, white, or gray flaky sea salt
1 loaf of either archipelago bread or wholewheat sourdough, or 1/2 loaf of each.

Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line an oven tray with parchment paper.

Cut both ends off of the butternut squash and then cut it in half short-ways down the center. Peel both haves. Cut the top half into cubes. Cut the bottom portion in half lengthwise and remove the seeds (save these for roasting). Cut the remaining squash into cubes. Place the squash cubes onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle over the garlic, thyme, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper. Using your hands or a spatula, stir the mixture so the squash pieces are well-coated. Spread the squash out into a single layer, place the pan into the hot oven, and roast for 30-40 minutes until the squash is tender and slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Using a fork or a potato masher, partially crush the squash pieces so you have a rough, slightly lumpy mixture.

Lay the bread slices out across a tray. Top each slice with a generous spoonful of the squash mixture, spreading it evenly. Sprinkle a little feta on top of the pumpkin, followed by a sprinkle of time, a little bit of sea salt, and finish by drizzling very lightly with olive oil.

To serve, lay the finished smørrebrød out on a serving tray, arrange winter greens topped with pomegranate seeds, tomatoes, and toasted butternut sqash seeds down the middle, and drizzle the salad lightly with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Makes approximately 24 slices.