Roll on to my 4th guest post from my fellow students at IIN. Today's post is from Katy Taylor. I love this recipe because gluten (and grain) free scones have always failed me... I always seem to resort to using spelt flour when making scones so I love the ingredient profile here. Maybe this will give you some ideas to experiment with too?  

So now the only question that remains from me is what would you have with your scones, if anything at all... (for me it would be some cashew cream and maybe a little chia jam!)

Over to you Katy...

Recipe: Katy’s Grain-Free Scones

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cup almond meal flour (Bob’s Red Mill works well)
• ¾ cup coconut meal (from straining coconut milk)* OR ½ cup apple pulp from juicing (other sweetish pulps may also work)
• 4 medjool dates, pitted
• 2 tsp chia + 5 tbs water (or 1 egg for non vegan)
• 1 tbs lemon juice (about ½ a small lemon)
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½  tsp caraway seed or other spice of choice (½-1 tsp cardamom is nice; with apple pulp, ½ tsp cinnamon and ¼ tsp nutmeg also works well)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup currants or raisins

Method:

If using chia seeds, soak them in the water in a small bowl 5-10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

In food processor, mix well: dates, eggs or soaked chia seeds, coconut oil, lemon juice until the dates are finely shredded, scraping down sides as needed.

Add coconut meal and mix well, scraping down the sides.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the currants and mix well.

Add currants and pulse quickly to combine.

Dough will be moist.

Using a spatula, form the dough into a ½-inch thick circle on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Cut into 8 pie pieces, and using a metal spatula, slide the pieces at least ½ inch apart so they bake evenly. Use your fingers to reshape them as necessary.

Bake at 325F for 30 minutes.

This recipe is inspired by Danielle Walker’s Currant Scones from her book Against All Grains

* My favorite coconut milk recipe here, but with only 2 dates: 

'Spotlight' Interview:

1- What first drew you to study with IIN?

I have always been interested in natural health and cooking. I was lucky to grow up with a mom who was curious and exploratory in the kitchen, too! We were making tofu as a science experiment before it was being sold in most stores and before most people had ever heard of it! Mom was thrifty, too, so we grew a lot of food, and froze and canned food for the winter. I remember spending a lot of happy time in the kitchen with her.

I also got practice exploring different diets early on as I decided to become a vegetarian at age 15, which mom let me do, but I had to pass a test to make sure I knew how to combine my proteins first! Over my 25 years of vegetarianism, I spent time eating vegan, lacto-ovo, and including fish, and since then I’ve experimented with raw, paleo, grain-free, and more. I always love to learn new ways of cooking and eating!

2- How has your life changed since becoming a health coaching student?

The most wonderful thing is that my “hobby” of cooking, fermenting, tincture-making, self care product-making, and gardening is allowed to be my passion! It’s like I gave myself permission to do what I most love—work with and learn about healthy food and cooking!

3- What do you hope to take away into the world and how do you plan to help others once you graduate?

 I am leaving my part-time administrative job at the end of 2014 and plan to earn my living as a part-time Holistic Health and Wellness Coach, combining the spiritual counseling I already offer with coaching that includes food and wellness of all kinds. I want to support women who struggle with feeling fulfilled in their lives and want to nourish themselves naturally with healthy food and cooking, conscious lifestyle choices, and spiritual growth work.

4- Being a ‘wellness crusader’ what one thing would you wish to change about the world?

 That we would all become super curious about our inner selves—how much the food we eat actually affects our bodies, how much the relationships we are involved in support us, how much the lifestyle we are choosing sustains us, and how the time we devote to our souls nourishes us. If we all became more interested in this, our relationship with ourselves, each other, and the world would heal. 

5- What would you choose for your 'final meal on earth’?

 Something really simple, clean, and nutritious—like seaweed miso soup, poached eggs on greens with homemade fermented veggies and bread, a huge, fresh-from-my-garden salad with fermented veggies, olive oil, avocado, red pepper, and pumpkin seeds. And most importantly, surrounded by my closest loved ones.

Share the Love:

You can foliow Katy Taylor through her website Nourishing Wholeness, her blog, and her Facebook page.

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