Happy Mother’s Day!
One of my mom’s favorites are scones! I got busy in the kitchen this morning and mixed, baked, blended, and boiled to make a batch of fig and date scones as well as raw almond milk–
– and a quick batch of organic orange marmalade.
Her favorite flowers are freesias and I was able to find a beautiful pink bouquet at Trader Joe’s the night before. I split the bunch up between three recycled glass jars and the buds are slowly blooming as they adorn the dining room table.
The marmalade complemented the scones well and the unsweetened almond milk was the perfect match for the two.
I hope you are having a wonderful mother’s day with your loved ones and enjoying the rest of this weekend!
Date + Fig Scones
This recipe is adapted from Good Life Eat’s basic scone recipe. It is perfect to get creative with and add in different juices, fruits, and zests, as well as experiment with different flours (you can make a gluten-free version). I wanted to use some of the fruits that are in season which is how I came up with adding fig and dates to it.
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold vegan butter (such as Earth Balance)
- 2 egg replacers
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 to 1 cup of dried figs, chopped
- 1/2 to 1 cup of dried dates, chopped
- 1 1/2 TBS cinnamon
In a large bowl combine the sugar, flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Cut the vegan butter into the flour mixture.
In the middle of the dry ingredients, make a well. Add the egg replacers, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir until starting to come together, then add the dried fruit. Continue to stir until well combined, or use one hand to combine the ingredients if easier (which is what I did.)
Knead in the bowl a few times. The dough will be slightly sticky, but you should be able to work with it easily. If you feel it’s too sticky, sprinkle a little bit of flour on it and on your hands.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into small balls in equal size. I didn’t make mine too perfect since I like the natural textures and look of the dough. place on the parchment paper.
Bake at 350F for 15-25 minutes (it took mine closer to 25 minutes to finish baking).
Cool on a wire rack and serve warm.
If you want to freeze the extras: cool them completely and place in a ziplock bag. Freeze for up to a month.
Almond Milk
Making anything from fresh after having a box/canned/bottled version of it is always amazing! It’s funny how different fresh almond milk tastes to me vs. the kind you get in the stores. I made a very pure version– didn’t add any sweeteners or other flavorings, it’s just raw almonds and water.
This recipe does require you to soak the almonds, overnight if possible, so I soaked the almonds the night before to make sure they were ready for me in the morning.
A friend of mine had asked before about the fat content in almond milk so I did a little research. Although it has more fat content than soy milk and skim milk, it actually has fewer calories than both! Unsweetened almond milk may contain about 40 calories, while soy milk and skim milk has about double the amount. Almond milk (as well as soy milk) also contains fats that are good for you, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Those help to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, and protects against cardiovascular and neurological diseases. It also contains a good dose of dietary fiber, between 1 to 4 grams depending on the richness and fortification of the milk. It is also a great source of B vitamins. With all that said, I think you should try to make some yourself and reap all these benefits! Also, when you make it at home you can make sure you use organic almonds and control the amount of sweetness you’d like in it.
I used a Vita-mix for this recipe which definitely makes the job a lot easier, but you can also use a regular blender. You will also need cheesecloth if you want your milk to be very smooth and free of any almond bits.
Last comment– it’s kind of cool to me that you blend this up and even though the almonds have that brownish skin, the milk is white! I just thought about that as I was looking through the photos. Anyway, try this out and enjoy having fresh almond milk in your fridge 
As with all things fresh with no added preservatives, consume as soon as possible and if needed keep in the fridge in an airtight jar, bottle, or container, and drink or use within the next few days.
-1 cup of organic raw almonds, soaked in water overnight
- 3-5 cups of water
- agave nectar (optional)
Drain the raw almonds. Place in blender along with 3 to 5 cups of water. (You can start with 3, see how you like the thickness and add more water if needed. Because I didn’t strain the milk, I add more water to thin it out a bit.)
Blend until smooth, or as smooth as possible.
If you want to smooth it out even more, pour the milk through cheese cloth. (You can save the almond meal and bake with it or add it to a salad.)
Serve as is or chilled. Enjoy!
Orange Marmalade
An easy way to make fresh marmalade! I also like this because you can make a small amount and finish it, instead of having a jar lingering in your fridge for months when you just needed / wanted a little bit.
A food processor will make this recipe a bit easier to make, but is not necessary.
This recipe is from Food.com by carol in orlando.
- 1 organic orange, whole, washed very well
- 1/2 cup of sugar (I don’t like things too sweet but if you do, you may want to add more sugar)
- 2 TBS of water
Take your clean orange and cut off both ends.
Cut into larger chunks to be placed in a food processor until the orange is in tiny pieces, or finely chop by hand.
Place the orange, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Let cool and serve or place in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
