8 Ingredient Coconut Cranberry Scones! {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free}

Does anyone else really miss cooking when you're traveling? Or is it just me? Yet again, Brett and I were gone this past week for a five-day work training and the whole week I kept thinking about cooking and baking. I always seemed to have a recipe swimming around in my head or a new flavor combination I wanted to try. It was killer!

The training was actually held where Brett works, which is only 25 minutes away from our house, but we still opted to stay on campus for the week. There were a lot of sessions after dinner and the days started early, so we figured it would be nice to not have to drive back and forth each day.  

Brett's office is right by a lake and it's actually where a KOA campground is located. We were blessed to be able to stay in "Deluxe Cabin #1" for the week which was right on the lake. We had a porch with a swing where we could enjoy the sunrise in the mornings and the cool breeze at night. One morning we even took two kayaks out to watch the sun rise on the water. The cabin itself was great too. The "master" bed was pretty small, so Brett ended up sleeping on the futon in the main room while I had the bed to myself. We like our space when we sleep.

Even though I wasn't able to experiment in the kitchen all week, I was blessed with some amazing vegan goodies. The hospitality team that cooked all of our meal for us was so sweet. One girl on the team is around my age and is vegan too, so she baked me special, vegan desserts! She made some amazing almond butter snicker doodle cookies, no-bake cookies and brownies. I definitely ate more sugar than I have in a while! Everything was delicious, which just added to my desire to experiment in the kitchen even more. 

The training finished up on Friday afternoon and I'll admit that by Friday evening I had already whipped up these Coconut Cranberry Scones as well as some Curry Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas for one of my new favorite salads. I had been thinking about making scones using coconut oil and coconut milk all week and I'm so happy with how these turned out. They're moist and flaky, easy to make and only require 8 ingredients. They're even refined sugar free!

Here's a list of some of the goodness that you'll find in these scones:

Coconut Oil

Ground Flaxseed

Craisins

Agave Nectar

Gluten-Free Flour

Coconut Cranberry Scones

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk (from a can or carton)
• 3-4 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• Optional: 1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a bowl prepare your flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside to thicken.
3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut in the coconut oil until there are no clumps larger than pea size. 
5. Add the coconut milk and agave nectar to your flax egg and stir to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
6. Fold in the craisins.
7. Place the dough in the middle of your baking sheet and use your hand to flatten it into a circle about 1 1/2 inches high. Cut the dough into 6-8 equal wedges, but keep the dough together in a circle.
8. If using the coarse sugar, sprinkle 1 tablespoon on top of the wedges and gently press it into the dough so they don't rub off.
9. Bake for 17-20 minutes until the scones are cooked through and the bottom is golden.
10. Eat warm or store in an airtight container for a few days.

Cocoa Craisin Overnight Oats

I know. I'm sorry. Another oatmeal recipe. But in my defense, I don't think I've shared many overnight oatmeal recipes yet. And you can't go wrong with chocolate for breakfast right?

Overnight oats are a great option for those crazy busy mornings when you know you won't have a lot of time to get ready. They just take a few minutes the night before and in the morning they're all ready for you to enjoy. Since you make them in a cup or jar you can even eat them on the road if you're really in a rush--as long as you drive safe now ya hear?!

One of my favorite things about these overnight oats are the chia seeds. I actually don't think you should even make overnight oats without chia seeds. They make it or break it for me. If you've never tried chia seeds before you really should go pick some up now. They are chalk full of fiber, protein and healthy fats. Even better, when soaked in liquid they expand and gel up so that you get a tapioca-like texture. Glorious. 

Try this combination out and tell me what you think!

Cocoa Craisin Overnight Oats

(Makes 1 Serving)

 Ingredients:

· 1/2 cup oats

· 1 tablespoon chia seeds

· 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, scant

· 2 teaspoons liquid sweetener of choice or 4 drops liquid stevia

· 1 tablespoon craisins

· 3/4 cup almond milk

· Optional toppings: more craisins, sliced banana, almonds...really whatever you want!

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients (expect the optional toppings) in a jar and mix well.

2. Place the jar in the fridge over night or for a few hours.

3. When ready to eat, stir the mixture or pour it into a bowl and top with additional toppings!

Have you ever had overnight oats before? 

What's your favorite breakfast food?

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

A Cooking Milestone: My Very Own Cookie Recipe

I gotta say I'm pretty excited to write this post, because I get to document a cooking milestone: my very own recipe! One of the main reasons for this blog was to document my experiences in the kitchen as a new vegan cook and hopefully get to the point where I would start creating my own recipes that are edible and maybe even delicious. The other day I finally got brave enough to try one out and I'm happy to report that these Trail Mix Energy Cookies really did turn out well. Husband tested and approved.

After my half-marathon on Saturday, I was unsurprisingly in the mood to bake. There's something about weekends that just brings out my desire to be in the kitchen experimenting. I've been wanting to make hearty "trail-mix" cookies so I started looking on-line for cookies that were chalk full of dried fruit, nuts, grains and healthy fats. I couldn't quite find what I was looking for so I found a few basic cookie recipes to go off of and invented my own.

These cookies are made with whole wheat flour and oats, chia seeds and hemp hearts, almond butter and coconut oil, walnuts and pecans. Tons of natural energy sweetened with a little sugar and agave nectar. Yum!

You can view these as a hearty dessert or eat them as granola bars. They're delicious without being too sweet. I baked half of them on a cookie tray and tried the rest in muffin tins. Both versions turned out great. The dough baked in the muffin tins didn't take as long to cook in the oven and held together slightly better because I was able to firmly push the dough into the bottom of the tins.  I'll definitely make this recipe again! Next time I'll even decrease the sugar a little to or use only agave or date paste. But for a first try, I'm quite happy with the result.

I hope you try these out...but beware, the chia seeds will get stuck in your teeth!

Hearty Trail-Mix Cookies

(Makes 18 cookiess)

 Ingredients:

· 1 cup quick oats

· 1 cup whole wheat flour

· 1/4 cup natural cane sugar

· 2 tablespoons chia seeds

· 2 tablespoons hemp heart seeds

· 1/4 cup semi-sweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips, chopped

· 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

· 1/4 cup pecans, chopped

· 1 teaspoon cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1 flax egg: 1 tablespoon ground flax seed + 2.5 tablespoons water

· 1/4 cup craisins

· 1/4 cup coconut oil

· 1/4 cup almond butter

· 1/4 cup agave nectar

· 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or spray two muffin pans with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients, from the quick oats to baking soda.

3. In a separate bowl stir together the wet ingredients, from the flax egg to vanilla, until combined.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until everything is incorporated.

5. Take two tablespoon amounts of dough at a time and press it into the bottom of muffin tins or roll tightly into a ball and then flatten as cookies on a baking sheet.

6. For muffins, bake for about 13-15 minutes.

7. For cookies, bake for about 15-18 minutes.

8. Let the cookies cool fully so that the coconut oil can harden and keep the cookies from breaking.

9. Enjoy a hearty bite of goodness!

   

Eat Consciously,

     Faith

Sweet and Salty Protein Trail Mix

I'm currently in New York City and it's bliss! Brett and I are here to scope out locations for where we could possibly live when we move here in July. Since we got here on Friday it has been beautiful and warm and we've loved exploring the city. It's still surreal to me that I'm going to live here. 

When we arrived on Friday we went straight to Flushing and got some amazing Chinese food with a friend. I got a vegan dish with thick, chewy noodles, seitan, and veggies. It was delicious and a great way to kick off our trip. Yesterday we spent most of our time in Manhattan and today we walked all around Union Square. There is so much life in the city and you never run out of things to look at and do.

I knew coming into this week that we'd be walking a ton so I decided to prep some snacks to take with me. Food can be pretty expensive as you all know, so I figured I could save us some money by planning ahead. This isn't really a recipe that I'm sharing with you, but more of a concoction that popped into my head. And it's delicious.

First I roasted some chickpeas coated in agave nectar and sprinkled with cinnamon. I poured 1 tablespoon of agave nectar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon over 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and roasted them in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Every ten minutes or so I would use a spoon to move the chickpeas around so that they wouldn't burn.

These little nuggets are subtly sweet and crunchy once they cool.

I then used those roasted chickpeas to make this amazing Sweet and Salty Protein Trail Mix. Deliciousness.

Sweet and Salty Protein Trail Mix

(Makes 5 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 1/4 cup cashews

· 1/4 cup almonds

· 1/4 cup craisins

· 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

· 1 cup agave roasted chickpeas

Directions:

1. Roast 1 cup of chickpeas using the above directions.

2. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Get your fill of protein!

Notes: To be honest, you can use whatever nuts or dried fruit you like or have available. I just happen to be biased to this combination.

My stash of goodies for the week:

 Eat Consciously,

     Faith