SANE recipes and adventures from a splendid single life.
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Podcast Co-host, recipe developer, and food photographer for the Smarter Science of Slim.
Tales of food, travel & adventure - a little bit of crazy with a whole lot of SANE.
Yesterday, I ran over my toe with a 64-gallon garbage can that was stuffed to the gills. Not only did I lose the toenail polish in the smack-down, but it still hurts this morning; to top it all off, it is turning a rather fetching shade of purple. That is, it would be fetching if it wasn’t on a toe. I am also suffering the after effects of eating more cauliflower than a girl should ever consume in a single sitting. I blame the cheese sauce.
Today, I have just three words for you: smoked, and salmon and leeks. It’s very important that you remember them, because they are your passport to having a splendid dinner tonight. I couldn’t let my sore toe get in the way of sharing this with you, so I limped all the way up the stairs to type it up especially. I will be extraordinarily excited when my kitchen demolition gets under way on Monday(YAY!!) because then I won’t have to limp very far in order to talk to you. I am taking a few walls out, destroying my pantry, and whipping out a bathroom. It’ll open up a whole new creative space in my kitchen. And, maybe more importantly, it will eliminate me having to run up and down stairs all day long, will make it less likely that the house will catch fire when I forget I left something cooking in the oven, and will inspire me to purge stuff that I really don’t need. Rather like I am purging the fat from my body. I like that. Purging is good.
This recipe, which is as simple as can possibly be, came from one of those “What do I have in the ‘fridge?” moments. I am not sure why I plonked pea shoots in my cart during my Thursday evening dash around Trader Joe’s, but boy oh boy, am I ever glad I did. I wasn’t the least bit sure how pea shoots would respond to a little heat, but I had to try. I am always up for a little living on the edge. Especially if it also involves smoked salmon.
I should probably clarify “smoked salmon” for the purposes of this recipe. I am referring to Scottish smoked salmon, which in the US is referred to as “Lox” and typically served on a bagel with cream cheese. Those ultra thin slices of salmon, smoked until they are deep orange and semi-translucent. I did not use American-style smoked salmon which is a salmon fillet smoked until it is cooked.
The most complicated bit is slicing the leeks. Or, in my case it was finding the chopping board since my kitchen is in complete pre-demolition dis-array. The longest bit – if you can call 3 minutes long – is sautéing the leeks. What you have, though, at the end of 5 or so minutes on your feet at the stove is a real lip-smacker of a one-dish dinner. Fast and furious, filling and fun.
To me this looks like Spring, which is why it’s especially awesome to eat it in Fall. Those bright green pea shoots remind me that really Spring is not so far away, especially when the time in-between now and then is punctuated with several holidays and an extravagant amount of busyness. Being that you can make a plate of super-SANE goodness in 10 minutes flat can only help with giving you more time for all the fun and craziness of the coming season.
Well, it’s time I’m limped back off to the kitchen to see if I can locate the blender for tomorrow morning’s smoothie.
Susie -Looks delish!!! I’m not familiar with pea shoots. I would imagine they’d be available in the spring. I suppose a good substitute would be bean sprouts.
carrie-Not sure where you are located Susie – I found them in Trader Joe’s but have not seen them everywhere. They look like huge pieces of cress, and are very different to bean sprouts, however, I think bean sprouts would work successfully in this recipe if you wanted to give it a try. Let me know how it goes!
I don’t know where the time goes. Lately, much of mine has been spent in the kitchen whipping up scrumptious *SANE stuff for you. I get the biggest rush getting down and dirty with a pile of veggies, a splash of coconut milk and a bowlful of almond flour, and it is especially fulfilling knowing that I might, in some small way, be giving you things that you can use to help you in your health and fat-loss goals. Every email, every comment, every Facebook interaction has been bringing happy stories of positivity & gratitude. I hope you know how much I appreciate this. It keeps me going when I’m having a tired moment, wondering if I am making an impact, wondering if there’s anyone out there, wondering if I should be focusing elsewhere. All I have to do now is head on over to my Marmalade inbox, up onto Facebook or Twitter or spend some time right here - and you all flood in. Thank you.
Now, back to last week.
Stuff I made and ate and wrote about, in case you missed them.
Creamy Cucumber Soup - see cucumber in a whole new light. Smooth, warm and creamy. Who knew?
As you can see – it was a kind of liquidy week around here. I wonder if the arrival of Fall and a dizzying amount of rain swayed my recipe-making decisions. It has also been an extremely green week. Who knew those pesky green veggies could taste so wonderful? Green is good!
The SANE cooking highlight of the week in the Marmalade HQ kitchen, however, was the Cheesy Scones (Biscuits). Oh good lord. I bet you thought you’d never eat another scone in your life. I bet you thought that if you did, it would be weird because it would be made with some strange and funky “health” food & would taste like cardboard. I am quivering with joy at being able to report that these are indistinguishable from their wheat-flour cousins. Indistinguishable I tell you! And I don’t even have the words to describe how insanely (ha ha) happy I was when I pulled them out of the oven and ate one. If you do nothing else this week, please make these scones.
Last week saw me getting a detail on the car – in the pouring rain – because that’s how we roll in Seattle, laughing so hard in the studio with Bailor he had to fly solo for a while because I couldn’t speak, enlisting the help of a particularly handsome and strapping man to re-arrange my office furniture, and day-dreaming about my upcoming kitchen demolition. I spent an hour on the phone with my favorite person in the whole world, decided that you need SANE cookies and by jove I was going to make them for you, owned a checkout at Trader Joe’s for the first time in history, had a gobsmackingly good SANE Big Breakfast Adventure in Eastlake with two Aussie chums, and had 3 spectacular SANE cookie fails in the kitchen.
My Therapist told me I was ridiculous, my boss entertained me multiple times with his crazy British garb, the price of gas plummeted, and I accidentally rolled over my skirt hem as I scooted around behind my desk in my office chair. I do not recommend this. On Thursday I slipped over and dumped my friend’s coffee all over the floor (and me), went into the mens bathroom by mistake to clean up, and then spent the rest of the day sporting a designer coffee stain all down the left leg of my pale blue jeans. Did I mention that 3 hours earlier I burnt my arm on the iron that I was using to iron my now stiff and coffee-stained jeans with? Ah, Thursday. There’s always one.
I ran my dishwasher more times in one weekend than should be legal for a single girl to do, discovered that Vanilla Coke Zero is not the same as Cherry Coke Zero, and decided I might need to get a roommate to help me eat all this SANE food I am making for you. I must have eaten 2 lbs of almonds this weekend in the course of my cooking experimentation, as well as a considerable amount of soup, eggs, smoked salmon and lettuce. Lastly, I had to put Dougal on a time-out because he was being entirely inappropriate with Florence. (Note to any new readers: Welcome! PS. please don’t call Child Protective Services, they’re cats.)
Meanwhile, my glorious gal-pal Deanna, who owns the #1 Bed and Breakfast in Washington State – The Old Hen - made her TV debut, along with Joey Fatone of N’Sync on the Live Well Network. You can watch the episode right here. She ROCKED it. What a star.
Finally, as usual, The Bailinator and I were in the studio recording another crazy podcast. This one was particularly crazy as I struggled to stay focused on the job in hand. I blame Bailor. Completely.
Stuff I made and ate and will write about in the coming couple weeks. You mentioned that you like a preview to the movie. I aim to please.
Leek and Pear Soup
Creamy Smoked Salmon with Pea Shoots
Cauliflower Cheese
Cheesy Pea Shoot Scramble
Brussel Sprouts with Leek and Poppy Seeds
Spiced Cauliflower Soup
“Goals are like the stars: They are always there. Adversity is like the clouds: they are temporary and will move on. Keep your eyes on the stars.” – Byrd Baggett
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” – Mark Victor Hansen
I love Cheese Scones. LOVE. I grew up eating my mother’s. She was the Cheese Scone Bomb. I used to grate the cheese for her – thick, yellow shavings of mature cheddar cheese – lovingly grated into a bowl, minus a few fingerfuls that ended up in my mouth. I think cheese scones may be one of the reasons why cheese and I have such a deep and meaningful relationship; it started at a very young age, while I was sitting on the kitchen counter-top swinging my legs and grating cheese. It think my mother’s cheese scones may also be the explanation for why my favorite line in Bailor’s book is, “Eat as much cheese as you need to stay happy”. I love that boy; and especially when I am eating cheese.
One of my favorite things to eat growing up involved my mother’s cheese scones. I’d cut a scone in half, butter it and pile salad ingredients – lettuce, cucumber and tomato – in between. Like a salad sandwich made with a cheese scone. Wowzer.
With all this soup I’ve been making for you, and requests for more pouring in daily, there’s been a lot of soup slip-sliding down my throat lately. When you make soup for 6 and there’s only one of you, well, that’s a lot of soup. The upside is I had lunches pre-made for two whole weeks. The downside to gallons of soup? I do miss eating a large chunk of baguette swathed in butter at the same time. So I started thinking about *SANE bread and began scouring cook books, which is a little perturbing given that I have a degree in Baking. It’s really been a very long time since I baked. Somewhere during that scouring process I got waylaid by a cheese scone recipe, and then I could not, for the life of me, get the thought of a warm, buttered, cheese scone out of my head. Some things are just not easy, you know.
Before I dive right into the cheesy goodness that is headed your way, let’s take a moment to talk about nomenclature, since we have a very diverse and plentiful number of cultures between us, and I don’t want anyone to be confused. When I say “scone” I am talking in British. If I were talking in American I would say “biscuit” when referring to what I just called a scone. To make things more complicated – or interesting - Americans also have scones, and the Brits also have biscuits. British biscuits, Americans call cookies. American scones, the British also call scones. And here’s wherein lies the easiest way to define them. In England, scones can be sweet or savory. In America, sweet ones are called scones and savory ones are called biscuits. Thus, this recipe is for a British scone and an American biscuit. I hope we got that straight. It would be awful if you did not end up with what you were anticipating.
I was so excited this morning after I popped my first batch in the oven and saw them rising, I literally did the happy dance in my lounge. The “kids” eyed me suspiciously. I didn’t care. The Bailinator would be proud – there was an inordinate amount of arm flailing going down. I am, however, thankful that it was not being recorded. It’s the little things.
Now, back to the Cheesy Scones (biscuits). I pulled them out of the oven and nearly cried when I cut one open, steam swirling out, and slapped some butter across the surface. It looked exactly like the innards of my mother’s cheese scones. Then I took a bite.
YOU. NEED. THESE. IN. YOUR. LIFE.
ATTENTION! I am interrupting this broadcast to bring you a short Public Service Announcement.
Before we get started on your first SANE baking recipe from the Marmalade HQ kitchen, we need to talk. Just like losing fat is science, so is baking; and quite an exact one. I have observed since I moved stateside that a lot of American food is more assembly than actual cooking or baking. Hence the American cup system – it’s easy and it’s fast. What it is not, is accurate. And that does not really matter for recipes that fall into the assembly category – like this - where if you are a little over or under on any ingredient there will be no material change in the outcome. But – and it’s a BIG but – it matters when it comes to baking.
I will not be obnoxious and pushy about many things, but I IMPLORE you – if you are going to do this *SANE baking, please avail yourself of a scale if you don’t already have one. They are not expensive. I have this one and it’s awesome. Cups measure volume, therefore, no two cupfuls of almond flour, for example, will weigh the same. And therefore you will get different results every time because the ratio of ingredients in baking (where’s there wet and dry ingredients and heat involved) matters. Sometimes they might work out just fine, and other times, well, not so much.
I will deliberately be writing the baking recipes using weights for the dry ingredients. If you choose to try and convert those weights into cups, do not tell me the recipe does not work. Also, if you ask me whether “this” can be substituted for “that”, I probably won’t know. I can take a stab and guess, but without making and testing it, I can’t tell you for sure. And my recipes are for sure. Feel free to substitute away if you feel the need, but if you choose to do that, don’t then tell me my recipe does not work.
I don’t make stuff up without testing before I share them with you. They work – if you follow them. If you want these to come out right, and you want them to come out right every single time, use weights, not cups for dry ingredients.
ATTENTION! I am interrupting this broadcast to bring you {another} short Public Service Announcement.
When we say these are *SANE, what we really mean in this instance is that they do not contain any sugars, starches, grains or unhealthy oils. They do not provide a huge amount of protein, fiber or water which is what makes a food truly SANE. They do provide healthy fats, some fiber & the other nutrients that almonds bring to the table. So, enjoy these as a treat, but not to the detriment of your day dose of SANE protein, fiber and water.
And now, for anyone still with me, you deserve Cheesy Scones (Biscuits). Ones that are indistinguishable from their wheat-flour cousins.
Author: Carrie Brown – SANEified from her mother’s recipe
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8 – 10
Ingredients
9 oz almond flour (NOT almond meal)
½ tsp salt
4 tsps baking powder
1 tsp xanthum gum (you can omit this, but the texture will not be as good)
2 oz butter
2 oz strong cheddar cheese, finely grated
⅓ cup milk + milk to glaze
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 F.
Put the almond flour, other dry ingredients and butter in a food processor and pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can also do this by hand if that’s your thing.
Turn into a bowl and mix in the cheese until evenly distributed.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk.
Mix by hand to form a dough. It will be a little sticky.
Using almond flour to dust the surface, knead the dough lightly until smooth.
Roll out the dough to ¾ inch thick.
Cut out biscuits using a round or fluted cutter.
Gather up the trimmings into a ball, re-roll and cut remaining dough into rounds.
ladyp1234 -Hi Carrie,
I’m really grateful for all your recipes; I’m not really enjoying most of the food I’m eating on SSoS so will be trying lots of your ideas. However, I’m nervous using all the unusual (to me) ingredients like stevia, the other sweetener you use, and now xanthum gum. I’ve just about come to terms with whey protein and milled flax seeds (though not the taste), am about to order some almond flour and maybe chia seeds, but am stalling at the others. Can you give me any encouragement?!
Thanks
carrie-Hi Lady P! I am working hard to make recipes that are as “normal” for people as possible, and not feel like strange “health” food. Great nutrition shouldn’be hard or complicated! You can leave out the xanthum gum in this recipe (it is a crumb stabilizer) but the texture will not be quite the same. Xylitol is as much like sugar as you can get – I find it easier to use than Stevia, which looks and sweetens differently to Xylitol. Buy some xylitol, put it in a jar on your counter and you won’t know the difference, except in your waistline ;-) These small changes and addition of a few new items will have such a hugely beneficial result for you I am sure you’ll be glad you got on board. Let me know how I can help!
Nancy-OMG! I made these for dinner and they are a fabulous treat. I was doubtful about the almond flour and xanthum gum but no more. These cheese scones are incredibly satisfying.
carrie-Nancy – so happy you loved them! I lost count of how many I ate over the weekend while I was perfecting the recipe! Good job they’re SANE :-)
Tara -I’m looking forward to making these! I get my almond meal at Trader Joe’s – any advice on where to get almond flour? What is the difference between the two?
carrie-Hi Tara – Almond Flour is made with blanched almonds (skins removed) and Almond Meal is made from unblanched almonds (skins on). Meal in this recipe will give you a different texture and throw the ratio of dry to liquid off. I get my Almond Flour online, but Bob’s Red Mill make it, which you can find in most grocery stores. PCC also have it. The bulk bins in whole food stores would a be a good place. Assume you are in the states?! In the UK, this is ground almonds and you can get them in any supermarket. Hope that helps!
Gaby -Carrie, did u use whole milk? just wondering, thanks!
carrie-I did! If I use cow’s milk, I always use whole. You could use coconut milk instead if you prefer.
ladyp1234 -Thanks very much for the reply. I saw stevia in Tesco today so picked that up as it was there but will order some xylitol and xanthum gum. Chia seeds have arrived so I can try some of the breakfasts now. And I didn’t realise that almond flour is the same as ground almond – I even have that in the cupboard already. Chopping cucumber for the soup now….! Thanks
carrie-Oh, Tesco! How I miss you, Tesco!! Yes, almond flour = ground almonds in the UK. I love that soup – let me know how you like it :-)
Nancy-I learned something about the xanthum gum. I bought a package of Bob’s Redmill from Whole Foods and some spilled on the counter. Don’t wipe it with a wet rag! Dry wipe it first, otherwise you get a big goopy mess.
carrie-Ooops! Yes, I need to write a post about the technicalities of some of these new ingredients. Sorry I didn’t get to that sooner! We love xanthan for it’s goopiness!!! Just not on the counter ;-)
Natasha-Whew, these must be delicious because that was one srsly pushy post. Some garlic and onion powder would probably make them even better, but I’m afraid to make suggestions around here that veer from the recipe. ;-)
carrie-OH, Natasha! How I miss your sarcastic sass in my life!!! We need to chuad it. PS. Veer away – as long as you don’t blame me if your veeering has you off track :-) Love you!!!
Deb -Found Almond Flour at Whole Foods – Redmond, WA and at Vitamin Life in Redmond, WA. Also, picked up Chia seeds, Xanthum gum, Stevia, Xylitol and Cocoa Nibs at Vitamin Life in Redmond, WA. Yay! I can start trying some of the recipes now! Yum:)
carrie-There are not many “new” things to make your pantry SANE, but it looks like you found the main ones – congrats!!! Let me know how you get on – excited to hear about your journey, Deb!
Deb -Thanks, will do! I am going to make the Cheesy Scones tonight! They will be great with our lamb. I am really looking forward to trying them. Heading out now to Uwajimaya to get the ingredients for Tom Ka Gai soup or Thai Coconut Chicken soup. Haven’t had it in a long time and it is a great sane soup. Thanks for all the great recipes! Looking forward to the Cheesy Cauliflower!! :)
carrie-The Cauliflower Cheese is coming on Wednesday! Yum :-) Would love to make your Tom Ka Gai.
Lilly -One word: heaven. These are delicious. I ate one hot with butter right out of the oven, then later used another to make a turkey sandwich with tomato and spinach. This recipe is just what I needed :) Thanks Carrie, keep ‘em coming!
carrie-YAY! Thanks, Lilly! I love that you used them for “bread” to make sadnwiches – I did the same thing and they were fabulous :-)
Julie -So tasty. Just made these to go with the califlower leek soup I made earlier in the day (amazing!). Mine are shaped like trees because I do not own any round cutters. And part way through I realized I only had 1 5/8 oz of butter so I added a little olive oil in with the milk. Turned out great! Thank you! (Next time I will use the correct amount of butter :))
carrie-We love trees! I wish I had tree-shaped cutters :-) PS. We like butter better than milk ;-)
Shawna -OMG…you are right. I do need these in my life!! Good Job Carrie!!
carrie-:-))) You will love the Orange Cranberry Scones coming up soon then, Shawna!!
Karen Kettner -These are wonderful! My chef husband could not stop eating them? They are great with all sorts of sane foods.
carrie-Thanks, Karen, and YAY for approving Chef Husbands!!!
Baking spree « Lipomachia-[...] I made cheesy scones from the wonderful recipe at this marvelous blog (Carrie is a devotee of the SANE diet proposed by [...]
Julie -Would you mind sharing your site for ordering almond flour online? I would love to find it more cheaply than whole foods! (~10.50/lb). Just made my 2nd batch today. Thanks!
carrie-http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/blanchedalmondflour25lb.aspx Half the price! I store it in the freezer and keep a jar in the kitchen, which I top up form the freezer when it gets low so I never have to wait for it to thaw. I also buy almond meal here, even cheaper. Store that in the freezer also. Hope that helps!
Nancy-Whole Foods has almond flour in the bulk section right now for $4.99/lb.
Nancie -I’m wondering about the powdered egg white. I don’t keep that on hand (though I do have xanthan gum as someone who avoids gluten when possible). I’m not even sure where to get it. Would it be possible to use real egg white and skip the other milky liquid? Your response to Gaby brings me to another question–I made a luscious pumpkin flan and was wondering whether I could substitute coconut milk for condensed cow’s milk.
carrie-Hi Nancie – I’ll email you! THANKS for stopping by.
Colleen -Hey Carrie, do you have any thoughts on using this for pie crust? I’m looking for a SANE savory pie crust (like for quiche), but I don’t think I’d want the baking powder. What do you think?
Joy Powers -Amazing, simply wonderful. About the only food I miss on SSoS is bread products of any sort. These scone/biscuits totally fill the gap. I had to freeze some to avoid eating the whole batch while still warm from the oven. BTW I’m baking at 7400 feet elevation, and the outcome was perfect, so no need to adjust for high altitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you Carrie.
carrie-Joy, THANK YOU so much for stopping by and for your kind words. I really appreciate your support!
HopefullySaneJane -Thank you for these Carrie. They were great, simple and surprizingly filling. So filling in fact that eating my out standing portions of vegetables was a little tricky (lesson learned).
I’m new to SSoS but have been wheat free (well free-ish) for two years. Therefore I allready had almond flour, Xanthum gum and five other types of non-wheat flour. The point of saying this is while most of the gluten free scones I’ve made were complicated multi component affairs these were simpler and better tasting!
carrie-YAY, SaneJane!!! I love this. My goal is to make things as simple and easy as possible while making them as tasty as anything you’ve ever eaten. It makes me so happy when people tell me I achieved that :-))
Pip -Hi Carrie, I love there scones. They are brilliant. I have been using them as a bread substitute and thinking about not putting in the cheese. Do you think I should replace it with an equal weight of butter?
carrie-Hi Pip – just leave the cheese out, they’ll be fine :-)
Sarah -I’m so sad! I just used the last of my almond flour to make these, and they have a really unbearable chemical aftertaste. I accidentally used baking soda instead of baking powder. I didn’t even realize I’d done it until I tasted them. :(
Johnny Pappas-I have modified this recipe and changed the milk to 2/3 of a cup of Greek Yogurt and 1/4 cup of water.
Sarah -Thanks, Carrie! Alas, this is what happens when I’m not paying close enough attention. But I am looking forward to trying them again when I get more honeyville almond flour. Also, Carrie, have you ever thought about doing video tutorials of some of your recipes? It’s obviously more work for you, but I think they’d be a real hit!
carrie-Sarah – I have thought about videos a lot, but cna’t keep up with the load I have right now :-( It will happen – just can’t tell you when.
allisol -The good news is that these are amazing. I’m gluten free so it’s been a long time since I’ve had something that can accompany soup or chili quite so nicely.
The bad news is that almonds make my little digestive system unhappy. Lots of stinky tooting going on around here. I read online that it’s a common response to almonds.
So if you make these for the first time you might start slow and not eat three in one sitting. Your family will appreciate it. :)
carrie-Allisol – I wonder if it will calm down as Mr. Gut gets used to the higher quantity of almonds coming down the pipe?
allisol -Carrie, yes, I’m thinking so. I have two biscuits here and I can’t figure out which way to use them. With eggs? As hamburger buns? Not sure but the subsequent ah… fragrance … will be worth it tonight. My gut does tend to freak out at new things and then adjust better as I insist that I am not giving up. And I have been slacking on my probiotic so if I can get that happening again we might all have a chance.
Grace -Wow!!!! Have just made these scones…. fabulous!!
Thank u
Cris -At our house recipes are rated as either a memory or a tradition. These deserve to become a tradition. They are a m a z i n g. Being a southern girl, it’s hard to live without biscuits. Thanks, Carrie!
carrie-Awww, Cris…humbled and honored to become part of your family tradition!!
Jennifer H -Hi Carrie, I am about to make these scones for the second time. I’m wondering about your instructions to roll the dough 3/4 inch thick. This seems SUPER thick to me, and I would have ended up with only about 3 scones to bake up because I felt that thickness would have used up all the dough. I ended up rolling to 1/4 inch thick and baking 10 scones. Can you weigh in on this dilemma?
I just replaced my baking powder because I think it had expired; the scones did not rise but were still edible and great with butter and jam on top. The scones have allowed me to stay off bread completely this week and are a filling breakfast or dessert. Thanks for all you do to keep us SANE.
carrie-Hi Jennifer! The only other variable that you have not mentioned is the diameter of the scones. You must be making scones that are much bigger across – which is fine! They’re your scones, you can make them wahtever size you want!! Sometimes I make huge ones and use them like bread for sandwixhs :-) Hope that helps! I am thrilled that they helped you stay completely off bread – awesome job, Jennifer!
Jennifer H -Hi Carrie – Just preheating the oven now. Thanks for your response!
I don’t have a biscuit cutter so used the edge of a small water glass to form the scones. It is 2.5 inch diameter. Sorry I did not include this info before (duh!). This seemed roughly scone/biscuit sized to me, but perhaps it really was too large. I would love to know the diameter of your cutter if it’s not too much trouble.
Thanks for the encouragement. :) Jennifer.
carrie-Hi Jennifer – I have a whole set of round cutters and honestly cannot remember which one I used last. However, now you told me you used a glass…that likely solves at least part of your no-rise issue. Glass doesn’t “cut” through the dough like a metal cutter and the sides being dragged down will actually help prevent the scones from rising. Same goes for plastic cutters. Metal is best. You can also cut them into squares with a sharp knife for something different.
Jennifer H -That is so enlightening! A metal biscuit cutter I shall purchase. I would never have figured that out on my own — thank goodness for your pastry chef training. Second batch also did not rise much, but were even more delicious! Thanks again. Jennifer.
Susan-Made these to go with my soup creation — pumpkin w/ham. They are delish. Got to use my jam tart cutter… Hmmmm now there is a recipe you need to perfect…jam tarts….
Keep up the great work. I now always have a batch of your muffins in the freezer for when my bread tooth calls.
BTW I made a chocolate zucchini bread using almond butter and xylitol instead of the honey called for in a Paleo-ish recipe. Delicious. Thank you for turning me on to xylitol…you can use it in a lot of the Paleo recipes out there in place of whatever sweetener (honey,agave, etc) they call for.
Gordon -Hi Carrie. Are these the scones to use with the strawberry jam and clotted cream (minus cheese)?
carrie-Hi Gordon – yes you could use these minus the cheese, although I will have a better plain scone recipe up soon. This will tide you over in the meantime! Did you see my SANE Strawberry Jam recipe? Gah I miss clotted cream!!!
I was thinking about you earlier. I think about you all the time these days. Today I was thinking about you in connection with cucumbers, and I suspect that when you think about cucumbers, creamy is not often the first adjective that pops into your head. Cucumbers likely don’t conjure up images of soup either. I do try and keep things interesting for you. I made you more soup – Cucumber Soup. Cucumber soup that is decidedly creamy. I think you’ll like it. I really hope you do. I think it might even make you see cucumbers in a whole new light.
I blame this entire cucumber soup idea on my mother. I have slurped down hundreds of gallons of cucumber soup in my life – all of it while sitting at my parents dining room table in England, and all of it made with cucumbers grown in my father’s greenhouse. My father was the Cucumber King, back in the day, and my mother couldn’t keep up with the supply, despite my eating the things as if they were dark green, ridiculously juicy, elongated apples. Her solution to the vast over-population of cucumbers threatening to bury her alive in our kitchen, was soup. Soup, soup, soup. At any given point in time there were an untold number of Tupperware containers stacked in the freezer housing nothing more than cucumber soup. She used the same recipe every time. Unwavering was she in her use of the cucumber. It’s a darn good thing we all liked her cucumber soup as is.
By all rights I should be able to recite the recipe in my sleep, when in reality, I have no idea how she made it. I just know she made an awful lot of it.
So this…this is not my mother’s cucumber soup. This is an altogether more complex, more creamy, more Carrie cucumber soup.
I tossed in a few things that you maybe aren’t expecting. I wasn’t really expecting them, either. They just came to me – one as I was wandering around the grocery store and the others I just made up when I got back to the Marmalade HQ kitchen. It’s amazing how much inspiration I get in grocery stores these days. Give me 10 minutes wandering a produce department and my mind goes nuts.
I think you’ll be really surprised by how fantastical a cucumber can taste. Throw away all thoughts of crisp, watery and cold. Think smooth, warm, creamy and even slightly sweet. Instead of boycotting the lovely cucumber until summer rolls back around, invite her in for the winter. Although, if you’re somewhere warm right now, make this, then chill it and enjoy it cold. Either way, hot or cold, you can now get some cucumbery goodness inside you without having to eat a salad.
allisol -Carrie, you’re killing me! I’m going to spend all my free time in the kitchen! I am backed up on my recipes b/c I want to make ALL of these. And I need to re-make the quiche cups because I ate them all (btw they are AMAZING with a slice of avocado for breakfast).
In addition to my request for a vegetable beef soup, I wonder if you can whip up some SANE chili? Light on the beans, heavy on the protein, heavy on the veggies? I think your cheesy biscuits would go so nicely with a big hearty bowl of chili… :)
Can’t wait to try the cucumber soup. I love how your recipes are easy but so yummy. Keep on keepin’ on!!!
PS: Will you include any info on whether the item can be frozen or not? I’m the only soup eater in the fam so I will normally freeze extras but am not familiar enough with cooking to know if that won’t work with some items.
carrie-No, no, no!! I am keeping you alive longer!! ;-)
I just ate two quiche cups for breakfast. THey are fast becoming my go-to food for just about any not-enough-time moment. Chili…hmmmm. I’ll add it to the list. You’re all kiliing me! (I love it)
You can freeze all the soups. YOu may want to whizz them through the blender for a minute once they are defrosted though, and before you reheat. I will start to add freezing info to the recipes.
Ladyp1234 -Just tried this but put too much salt in :-(. Despite salt, was really creamy and surprisingly filling, so will try again with less salt.
What SANE food category does coconut milk count as?
Damaris -Wowee Carrie, I love this! Delicious even without chives or scallions which I didn’t have in the house…. I also left out the cream and salt, and instead garnished with a swirl of cottage cheese. Yum!
carrie-Awesome, Damaris! I do love this soup. The cream adds body and texture and flavor but as you found out, it’s yummy without too :-)
carrie-LadyP, coconut milk would come in the nut category – so a healthy fat. Let us know how the next batch turns out!
It’s true. I *finally* climbed on board the green smoothie train. Choo! Choo!
In my mind, green smoothies have always had a reputation for being a little ”out there”. You know, the kind of thing that weird, kooky, health-and-fitness freaks do. Or vegans. Tree huggers. Health nuts. I mean, regular people don’t drink copious amounts of spinach for breakfast. Right? That’s just not normal.
Maybe it was sitting in a studio with The Bailinator and a vat of green smoothie every week that got me started. I blame him for most things these days. Whatever it was, it turns out, if us regular people drank these on a regular basis, we’d all be doing a whole lot better. Not to mention we’d be hotter. If you’re struggling to get your Bailor-recommended 10 servings of non-starchy veggies crammed into every day, this is one easy-peasy way to achieve that. Without even realizing it - because this green smoothie – it tastes like a strawberry milkshake. And who wouldn’t want to drink one of those every day? Especially one that makes you burn off body fat. Yeah. I want some of that.
So I whipped this recipe up last weekend and have been taste-testing it all over the place, all week. Not the same one, you understand. I’ve made a new batch every day. Everyone’s eyebrows popped up at the first sip. Because they weren’t expecting strawberry milkshake – they were expecting whatever their concept of green tastes like. Not one person believed it had 4 cups of raw spinach in. It does. Plus 50g of whey protein. Hello. That’s a third of most people’s protein, right there.
It takes 3 minutes to make. It will fill you up. It is totally portable. Breakfast on your commute if that’s what works with your schedule. Split it in half and drink it for your morning and afternoon snacks. Put it in a bowl and eat it with a spoon for dessert. Whatever works for you.
Carole Huxman -Curious about the boiling water. Doesn’t that thaw the strawberries so it’s not thick like a milkshake?
carrie-The boiling water is to semi-thaw the fruit. Trust me – this is still super thick like milkshake! Your blender will thank you :-)
Ladyp1234 -This is a great way to 4 portions of spinach. I added more strawberries to get more strawberry flavour, and only had plain whey protein so added vanilla extract ( does that do the same thing as vanilla whey I wonder). It was so filling and certainly the nicest smoothie I’ve tried so far. Thanks Carrie
carrie-YAY! Bear in mind that adding more strawberries will make it less SANE, which is fine as long as you are aware. Great idea on plain whey and vanilla essence! I could also use strawberry whey if you have it to up the strawberry flavor.
Sarah -With some trepidation, I made this smoothie this morning. It was my second attempt at a green smoothie (the first one was a recipe from Jonathan Bailor that included broccoli, which was unfortunately so vile that I couldn’t drink it.) Like another commenter, I had to add more strawberries to make this smoothie work for me. Without adding more of them, I could taste the spinach, and for me, green smoothies only work if the vegetable flavor is completely masked. Since adding more strawberries makes the smoothie less SANE, I think I’ll just stick to eating my veggies the old fashioned way.
carrie-Only a little less SANE, definitely not inSANE – sorry if you go that impression!! It just increases the overall amount of sugar slightly. Depending on where you are personally at on your SANE journey, that might be just fine. When you can’t get your veggies in a traditional way, I would add more straberries to make this work for you versus not getting the veggies, any day. I would also try using Strawberry Whey Powder instead of vanilla and seeing if that adds enough strawberry for you. I am waiting for my strawberry whey to arrive, I’ll will make a batch then. Hope that helps!
Cowgirl Rae-Where are you getting your strawberry whey from?
HELENE -Has anyone ever tried this with a fruit other than strawberries. I have an odd allergy to strawberries….they make me breakout under my left arm! And it is a like a very painful burn!
Sarah -Thanks for recommending the strawberry whey as an option, Carrie. I’ll be sure to try that at some point. In the meantime, I’ve been making the recipe but adding frozen raspberries instead of strawberries (stronger flavor and I think less sugar) and also adding some cocoa powder. I find those two ingredients (raspberries and cocoa) mask the flavor of the spinach and also just taste really good together.
carrie-Hi Helene, Any berries would be great in this! You may need more or less sweetener depending on the berry though.
carrie-Oh – love raspberries & cocoa – great choice!
HELENE -Thanks for the ideas. I will try raspberries and I will try cocoa powder. What the heck! I have to be kind of careful with chocolate too. :(
carrie-Just raspberries on their own would be scrumptious too, Helene!
HELENE -You seem to have picked up on my tendency to push the envelope! I don’t have any coconut milk….I know….go get some….but I can’t. I am sort of home bound…between having myself tethered to oxygen and my car in the shop, I not able to just jump up and run to the store. Soon, I will be able to. I just got a portable oxygen concentrator and my car will be done soon, I think.
I am going to try that with almond milk. It probably won’t be as good, though. But I might have some coconut flavoring. Which may or may not go with almond milk….by the way, I live in Tacoma…so the things you say about the PNW really make sense to me. We have had the weirdest weather.
carrie-Nutrition-wise we choose coconut milk over almond milk, plus I just prefer the consistency and flavor of coconut over almond. You can use either. A lot of folks prefer the creaminess of almond. Both are good!
HELENE -I think I would prefer coconut milk myself, if I had some. I will get it the next time I get groceries.
Cowgirl Rae-@HELENE,
I wanted to say unsweetened coconut milk in the refrigerated carton has virtually no flavor. only 45 calories from fat (coconut oil) and is carbohydrate free.
There is no coconut flavor using it. It is thickened and has a nice texture but is not a flavor ingredient.
One could use water or another unsweetened “milk” beverage.
HELENE -Darn, I really love the smell and taste of coconut. I made this with the almond milk. It was okay. And I took a chance on frozen strawberries. Sometimes, I can get away with it. I’d like to have it with the thickness of the coconut. One thing though? It wasn’t sweet, even with the only almond milk I had, which was sweetened.I ended up adding some stevia. Either you guys are not as crazy about sweetness as I am, or I did something wrong.
Natasha -I have made this three times and love it! My only question is about the avocado. How many whole avocados can you eat in a week before it is too much of a good thing? I ask this because I could seriously drink this shake every day. :)
I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thanks so much for sharing!
carrie-Hi Natasha – I am thrilled that you love this smoothie! The answer to your question depends on where else you are choosing to get your healthy fats from. You want to aim to get 1/3rd of your calories from protein, a 1/3rd from non-starchy veggies and a 1/3rd from healthy fats. If you like to eat whole eggs, cheese, fatter cuts of meat, nuts and seeds as well, then I would not drink one of these every day, but alternate with the Orange Creamsicle Smoothie or one of the others I have coming up soon. Try and look at your intake across a whole day to see where else you are getting healthy fats. Also, it depends where you are on your SSoS journey. If you are where you want to be, I wouldn’t worry about it so much. If you have just started and have a way to go to reach your goal, drink this smoothie less often. Hope that helps!
carrie-Helene – sweetness is a purely personal thing. I think you will find that over time eating SANE your tolerance for sweetnes will go down, so I tend to use less sweetener now than I did a year ago, and things I ate back then seem unbearably sweet to me now. I am sure you did nothing wrong. Use as much Stevia or equivalent as you need to make it taste how you like it.
Ellen -Carrie, I love this recipe just as it is. But, I ran out of frozen strawberries and decided to try a bag of Mixed Berries in my freezer. It was just as sweet and good, but there were millions of seeds – so if you don’t like seeds I wouldn’t try that. I loved it, and actually only used 1/2 avocado in an attempt to lower the fat in the smoothie. YUM!
I’m excited to try the Orange Dreamsicle Smoothie next – am waiting on a shipment of guar gum and other SANE goodies!
Thanks so much!!
Ellen
HELENE -Bye the way, what is guar gum? Can you make Dreamsicle without it? And where can you get it? I think I have all the other ingredients for it. And I really want to have a Dreamsicle.
carrie-Hi Ellen – I hate all those seeds!! I use them anyway :-) On the avocado, make sure that you are getting enough healthy fats in your diet elsewhere. Healthy fats are an important part of being SANE and slim! YAY on the shipment of SANE goodies – let me know how you like the Orange Creamsicle Smoothie.
carrie-Hi Helene – yes you can leave out the guar gum, the texture will not be the same is all. The gum makes it thick and creamy in texture. You cna get it online or at most grocery stores. Look for the Bob’s Red Mill products or ask in store. Hope that helps!
Krista -Hi Carrie- I LOVE your smoothies. Quick question – how long do they keep? Can I make it the night before and eat it for breakfast and lunch the next day? Can I make a big batch of shakes and freeze them?
carrie-Hi Krista – I have made mine the night before and kept in the ‘fridge (stored either in tightly sealed container or in a glass covered with wrap (cling film)). I aim to make smoothies that will not seperate (as so many others do) and I have stored all of mine at least over night, and found them to still be perfectly fine the next day. I have not tried freezing them, but I can’t think of any reason why it wouldn’t work. They may need to be blended again for 30 seconds once they are defrosted, but that’s just a guess. If you try freezing, please report back! I would NOT defrost them in the microwave or heat to defrost as this has the potential to cook the greens and I don’t think that would work well AT ALL! Hope that helps!
Carole -How many servings of vegetables does this count for?
carrie-1 oz raw spinach = one serving, so in this case, 4. This is why good, SANE smoothies are so helpful in getting us our veggies in.
Ann -Carrie, you are my hero!!! This is sooo tasty! Seriously, I have tried to make green smoothies before and they have always been so awful. I only ever hoped they could be tolerable – never imagined I could make one I actually loved to drink. Now that I have tried one of your recipes and seen how you approach it, I have the guidance I have always needed to make seriously yummy and nutritious, sane smoothies. You have seriously changed my life in a good way!
Green Smoothie – Orange Creamsicle » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts-[...] The problem with most smoothie recipes is that many of them use banana to give it that creamy texture. We don’t do bananas. Then they’ll use fruits like apples and grapes to sweeten them, because they are really good at sweetening things. We don’t do those super-sweet fruits. So I really had to start from scratch on the smoothie front. If you’re like me, the thought of drinking your veggies in liquid form isn’t horrible, but if I had a choice I’d really rather prefer it if they tasted like something else entirely. Like an Orange Creamsicle or a Strawberry Milkshake. [...]
Grace -Hi Carrie is it possible to use low carb soya milk instead of coconutmilk
Thank you
Grace
carrie-Hi Grace – you can use whatever milk you choose, however, we do not reccomend using soy milk for anything because of the effect it has on hormones. OWuld also not reccomend using large amounts of cows milk as it contains sugars. Hope that helps!
Patti -Thanks for these wonderful smoothies! My avocados were still hard, so I tried 1/4 cup cashews and it turned out great!
carrie-Thanks for the smoothie love, Patti! Cashews are all good :-) Do try it with the avocados when you can though – so yummy!
by carrie
Susie - Looks delish!!! I’m not familiar with pea shoots. I would imagine they’d be available in the spring. I suppose a good substitute would be bean sprouts.
carrie - Not sure where you are located Susie – I found them in Trader Joe’s but have not seen them everywhere. They look like huge pieces of cress, and are very different to bean sprouts, however, I think bean sprouts would work successfully in this recipe if you wanted to give it a try. Let me know how it goes!
Cheesy Pea Shoot Scramble » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts - [...] I have mentioned before that pea shoots are one of my favorite new things. I did stuff with them here and here. And now here. Pea shoots [...]
The Monday Memo #4 » Carrie Brown | Marmalade and Mileposts - [...] Smoked Salmon and Pea Shoot Saute - fast and furious, filling, fabulous and fun. 10 minutes to super SANEity. [...]