Biscuity Scones, Vegantine's Goodies and Superpowers!

Healthy Juicer update: If you have already entered the Juicer Giveaway, you can get an extra entry just by mentioning (and linking back to) the contest on your own blog. Just leave another comment on the giveaway post to give me a heads up.

Thank you so much for playing, it has been most fun! Check out a few of all the awesome entries:

Jane: I would have the power to form an invisible protective bubble around myself so i wouldn't feel the outside temperature, but rather, a nice warm 70 degrees. (Me too!)

Amanda: the ability to tap anyone with my magic wand and they would instantly want to go vegan! (Nice one!)

Kelly. G: I'd wish for the superpower to speak canine (in case of regional/breed differences, the American rat terrier dialect), mostly so I can ask my middle dog to stop eating his brother's and sister's poo. (LOL!)

MaryBe: ...I always thought it would be cool to have a tail! I am klutzy and always thought it would help my balance. (I could use this power too!)

Alicia: My super power would be the ability to make reading (books, blogs, whatever) give me the same results as sleeping. That way I wouldn't feel so tired the next day when I stay up until 1am reading blogs. (Wouldn't that be nice?)

Becks: I would like the ability to turn any cat I stroke back into a kitten (as they are all eternal kittens at heart) then they could live long, happy, lives - forever with their pet humans. (So sweet!)

So many entries, so many creative superpowers! Keep'em coming!

I've been experimenting with the baking powder Biscuity Scones recipe I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. The cooking time and method has been tricky but I finally found what works best for this recipe. You can add more sugar and some cinnamon, or some sunflower seeds, or whatever you think would work. After trying different variations, I actually prefer the basic version. But my taste buds are plain and unrefined like that.



Basic Baking Powder Biscuity Scones

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp ground flax seed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup soy milk

1- Preheat a cast iron skillet on low heat and spray with cooking spray.
2- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
3- Whisk together the oil and the soy milk.
4- Stir the liquids into the flour mix just until a dough forms. Add more milk by the tablespoon is necessary (though it shouldn't be too moist). Knead just three or four times.
5- Turn out the dough on a floured surface (I just use a flat, rimless plate) and flatten it forming a 1/2 inch thick circle. It shouldn't be too thick or the scones will be raw and doughy in the middle.
6- Use a sharp knife to cut the circle into 6 triangles. It helps to dip the knife in flour so the dough doesn't stick to it so much.
7- Place the scones in the sauté pan and cook covered for 10 minutes. You might have to remove the lid and wipe the steam down half way through.
8- Flip the scones over using a fork, small spatula or whatever works for you, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
9- Transfer the scones to a cooling rack to keep them from getting soggy.

I like mine sliced in half and with some Earth Balance, along with some hot tea and a good book. Second-day Biscuity Scones are best reheated in the toaster because it gives them their outer crispiness back. They of course taste better when cooked in a cast iron skillet, but we don't bring one on the road so a non-stick frying pan is the next best thing for us.

Speaking of outer crispiness - affected by another case of the copycats, I made the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burgers from Jes' blog (Cupcake Punk.) Jes is an award-winning cake master! :)

These burgers were tasty and full of good-for-you ingredients like quinoa, sweet potato, and black beans. We were out of bread crumbs so I used these corn flake crumbs, which means these burgers can be gluten-free. I coated them with the corn flake crumbs to make them crispy because we weren't going to have them in burger buns.

Quinoa, Black Bean, Sweet Potato Patties

Valentine's Day is almost here and I wanted to make some heart shaped chocolates. It didn't go very well. They taste great, but the dipping in chocolate process wasn't as smooth as I imagined because the chocolate/coconut/cashew centers kept melting on me!

Vegantine's Day Chocolate Hearts

Next week I'll probably write up a whole post dedicated to Vegantine's Day foods and recipes. Hopefully that will go better.

In the meantime, here are a few more road pictures for you.

Pedestrian-turkey safety rule#1: always look both ways before crossing the road
(Theodore Roosevelt National Park)




Dr. McSteamy


Please somebody tell this silly goose that the whole "whassup" thing just isn't cool anymore.


Do I have something in my teeth?

Comments

  1. Mmm gotta love those scones! I need to make some more.

    Ooo and those chocolates look mouthwatering!!!

    Cute pictures, I love the up close and personal goose one. haha

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  2. You keep tempting me with new biscuit/scone/bread recipes! And what a cute goose pic! Glad you liked the burgers--I bet they'd go good on a scone too!

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  3. Those chocolates look pretty damn tasty! :)

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  4. Aw! You liked my superpower! I feel special >:oD

    I'm loving your animal pictures and captions, I always want to see more! The Canadian goose and the squizzle are my faves! How do you get the animals to be so expressive? 'Wazzup' goose, waving sea-gulls? How do you do it?

    Hmm, your secret job title isn't 'travelling Wing-It Dolittles' is it? Do you travel from park to park, having a quiet word with the trouble makers?
    Yogi~ stop stealing picnic baskets.
    Seagull~ stop flipping tourists the bird- give 'em a wave, it's more polite.
    Goose~ stop biting children- why not ask 'em how they're doing?
    Mr. Squizzle~ stop throwing nuts at peaople- pose for a super cute picture instead. Etc.

    I'm totally right, aren't I? >:o)

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  5. I notice you're reading Persuasion. My favorite of all Jane Austen's work! Enjoy!

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  6. Oh Dr. McSteamy, you are SOOOOOO hot! I can't stand it!

    Haha and Miss River, your plate totally kicks my plate's butt! I need to come over for dinner.

    I love how you renamed V-day. I'm going to focus on some chocolate-covered posts too, next week. But something tells me yours'll be cooler!

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  7. Happy Happy Valentines' Month - looking forward to some vegantine inspiration from you forthwith!

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  8. the valentine choccy heart thingies look awesome.

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  9. Well I was going to make the muffinish thingies but now I want to make the bicuity thingies! Your burgers sound good too. Breading is an excellent idea, esp. for the kind that tend to fall apart. And the chocolate hearts are beautiful.

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  10. the chocolates look really good and cute!
    i can't wait to see more vegantine's day stuff from you!! :)

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  11. wowowow....
    this whole entry looks fabulous....
    can i come for eats?....
    i want to make heart shaped cookies this year too...
    i was going to just do sugar cookies...but this is some inspiration to do chocolatey goodness....
    love the nanimals pics...
    :)

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  12. I love the scone recipe, heart chocolate (which do look lovely by the way!) and the geese/squirell... so cute!

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  13. thanks for your biscuity scone recipe, River! totally going to give it a try. i've never had any kind of scone before.

    and we must have ESP or something because dan & i are trying out Jes' sweet potato & black bean burgers tonight! mmmmmmmm! i can't wait! yours look so goooooood!

    i think your heart shaped chocolates = beautiful & so tasty look'n! i love them!

    the goose is the cutest! i'm going to show him to dan - he's adorable!

    oh yeah - dan & i tried your whole wheat english muffinish yummies! ohhhhhhh my goooodness River - they're AMAZING! i think i'm addicted! i ate two today and i'm probably going to have a third when i get home after my run! thank you for another glorious recipe! you rock so hard!

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  14. hahahhha Mr Steamy...Vegantine..Jo as the squirrel....Rivvvy you rock in my world! I love coming here and you're just amazing. I have such a crush on you! xoxoxo

    I knew I was in trouble the moment I saw the pics on flickr. hehe. All wonderful eats and gluten-free...wah hey! I def would try your burger. DEFINITELY! The veg you served with looks sooooo good, I'm drooling here. *slurps

    Thanks for updating me in your blogroll! Appreciate it. And of course all your wonderful comments on my blog.

    I could just squeeze you!xx

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  15. I can't wait for the Valentine's (or should I say, Vegantine's) Day post. You always have the best goodies for holidays.

    I never made scones in a saute pan before, I have to try your recipe out.

    The picture of the goose is too cute!

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  16. Cases of the copycats are fun! I ADORE that goose photo.

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  17. Oh wow! Those heart cookies look amazing! I'll take a dozen! ;-) Thanks for the link to the yummy sweet potato black bean burgers, too! Lots of good stuff here as always :-)

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  18. Yum, the heart cookies look great!
    And how cute is that goose?! Love it :)

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  19. those scones look crunchalicious.

    that is too funny. my bday and my dating anniversary w/ Andy are this month. I consider that more significant than our wedding because it was the start of our relationship. We don't celebrate them all because they are 3 days in a row. It's too tiring to make fancy dinners and dessert for 3 days.

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  20. I'm just imagining how yummy those cookies are.

    I like Alicia's power. I love reading but I keep falling asleep!

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  21. i don't even know what to comment on, everything looks fabulous :)

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  22. Hi River,

    Your chocolate hearts look amazing! Any chance you are going to share the recipe that you used? :)

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  23. Thanks for sharing this recipe... I will try this on Valentines Day...

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  24. thanks for the tip about Jes' blog! Those burgers look crispy and tasty.

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  25. These scones sound better every time (if that's possible at all). Those burgers look great, you too have amazing photographing skills.

    Those chocolates look so good!

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  26. you bring the sweet tooth in me out! yuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm

    p.s. i wanna see valentine themed food ;)

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  27. Yeah, Valentine's Day! Now we will hopefully see some more of your awesome creativity!

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  28. I want all of those super powers!!

    I like my scones plain and simple too.

    And the chocolates looks like anything but a disaster! Can't wait for vegtantines... heehee, so cute!

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  29. Those sconey biscuits sound right up my alley baby! I need to make them soon! And you know I love those animal pictures!

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  30. I love your pics! I hope to visit yellowstone for the first time this summer....

    Food looks amazing too. I think I'm going to make those biscuits for b'fast tomorrow.

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  31. Sweet potatoes and black beans are such a yummy combo, those burgers look great!

    And I love the contest idea, too cute.

    Love the pictures! What a lucky girl you are to spend so much time traveling.

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  32. Seriously, what are the chances you would have just finished reading "Persuasion"?! That's pure craziness! It's definitely my favorite Jane Austen book (even though it's so hard to choose...). (-: Your sweet treats here look delicious and full of yummy calories. That's why I think my magic super power would be to have the ability to eat anything I want (within the veggie kingdom of course) and not gain weight. How awesome would it be to gorge on your Valentine's goodies without fear of that bulging waistline? Awesome!

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  33. Hi River! I reposted my post about the juicer giveaway, I decided to do a raffle instead of a bake-off. I just wanted you to know I didn't delete your comment, I deleted the blog post. Anyway, I hope everything is going well for you. Happy travelling!

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  34. wow! those scones look terrific!
    thanks for sharing some of those superpower replies...I really commiserated with the one about reading having the same effect as sleeping, as I'm currently losing sleep from staying up all night reading too!

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  35. I love the road pics. Can't wait to see what your next trip brings.
    Great work on trying the chocolates. I've yet to delve into that world. Seems like a very sensitive proces.

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  36. those chocolates are amazingggggg

    and how cute are those pictures!!!! im so danm curious as to what you do!

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  37. Thank you guys! :)

    I will probably make those chocolates again (with some molds this time) and I'll post the recipe then.

    Isn't that goose the cutest ever? :)

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  38. Enjoy your birthday & Valentine's Day celebrations! It sounds like February is a fun month for you.

    All the food looks great - beautiful colors!

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  39. Everything (as always) looks fabulous! I love scones/biscuits so must try those out. And those chocolates--are you kidding me??? They look PERFECT. How on earth did you manage to dip hearts and keep them heart-shaped??? I am totally envious of your dipping skills!

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  40. Those valentine chocolates look so good, and I'm always into the latest veggie burger developments - those ingredients sound perfect together. Great pictures too!

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  41. Those burgers look yummy! Something else to add to my list.....
    I'm loving the animal photos - they are so cute, especially the goose.
    Hee hee hee

    And the Valentine Chocs look awesome too.
    The fact that they're not all perfect looking on the outside but are decadently delicious on the inside is keeping the whole spirit of Valentine true to form.
    :)

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  42. Both the scones and burgers look amazing!!!!

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  43. How have I not seen your blog before? Love it! Your animals pics are just adorable too..

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  44. a long time ago, I was vegan for 2 years and I know sometimes I would kill for a rich creamy chocolate cake :-) that is probably why my will broke along the way :-( now after two years of crap diet, I am re-living my vegan journey again with my 21-day vegan challenge, as from what I was told, it takes three weeks to change one´s habits....

    I ll be back for more inspiration :-)

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  45. Hey hey !!

    I'm soo happy to visit your blog again!! =))

    Ohhh what yummy eats and treats you've created again...!! Look sooo perefctly delicious..!!

    And the BURGERS..mmmm!!! =D

    Well,well...lovely nature pics =D

    Hope you're fine!!

    HUGGGGGGS!!! ENjoy your day!!

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  46. Whaaa? Tommy threw spitballs at you? I'm flunking him now for sure!

    And if you think chocolate-strawberry yogurt sounds good, wait until my chocolate mousse post! I kinda wish I hadn't made up this recipe, because I've been eating it every day for like a week. If, in the future, you stop hearing from me, it's because I've turned into chocolate mousse and therefore no longer have fngers with which to type.

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  47. Happy birthday to Mr. Wing-It and happy anniversary to the both of you!

    Those biscuity scones are a brilliant idea! And perfect to make because they're so simple!!

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  48. Oh! Those cookies look awesome! Can't wait to check out your Valentine's goodies! :)

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  49. ahh river!!! that squirrel is a beauty haha that just made my sunday morning so much funnier.

    i should've known you'd be making vday stuff already. they still look delicious to me. are you making your hubby a romantic dinner for vday???

    i remember last vday i went to cycling class at the gym and felt like such a loser because i wasn't on a date. i was just happy that i wasn't the only one spending the night at bally's haha

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  50. Thank you! Thank you! :)

    I am working on some Vegantine's goodies that will hopefully be up tomorrow... or the day after!

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  51. The sweet potato and black bean burger sounds yummy!

    And my superpower is only silly if you've never had to pick poo out of a dog's teeth ;) Not fun!

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  52. You win the prize for referencing Gilmore Girls! <3<3 GG. The scones and burger and chocolates all look very tasty. And I love the squirrell picture. Squirrells are the cutest.

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  53. Jane Austin books were my favorite ! And those scones look delicious. I absolutely love fun scone recipes. :)
    Sylvia
    Cigar Reviews

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  54. Gauri Radha गौरी राधाMay 7, 2011 at 1:30 AM

    Vegan scones and biscuits and vegan chocolate? Sounds and looks fantastic :-)

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