Meatless Monday Recipe – Chocolate Chip Scones

I try to mix it up with the recipes I post – not always a main dish, side dish, or dessert, etc. I do this because I know there are ton of wonderful food and recipe blogs out there to follow. At this time, I’m not so much a recipe creator as a recipe follower. I do sometimes take a recipe and see what happens when I replace animal products with vegan alternatives. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. The ones I lose on I will keep trying to make adjustments until I get them correct. Though I won’t share these unless the recipe actually tastes good.

I do try to pick a weekly recipe that is quick to make, easy to follow and uses common ingredients – even if they are vegan. A lot of times you can use dairy, cheese  or eggs instead of the vegan alternatives I choose to keep the recipe even easier to create (if you’re not a vegan). You’re also more likely to try a new recipe if you’re able to use ingredients you already have in your house (at least I know I am). Adding dairy, cheese or eggs still keeps the recipe meatless, so it works for Meatless Monday. My simple goal here is to motivate others to go meatless one day a week.

I was initially contemplating a dessert this week, but honestly, I’ve had an under-the-weather hubby and thought making a tempting dessert wouldn’t be nice if he didn’t feel like eating some. One of my co-worker’s made a request that I make something I can bring in to share with her. I decided on a breakfast treat – that can on occasion be eaten for dessert and, yes, I have been known to do this.

I just made these, and truly, they are delicious!!! Now, I’m hoping there will be some left-over to bring in to work tomorrow. I’d better wrap a few up and put them aside as my daughter Mimi just showed up and I saw her eyes light up when she sampled them.

I started with a recipe from the “1,000 Vegan Recipes” cookbook by Robin Robertson and then added a little glaze from a recipe in “My Sweet Vegan: Passionate About Dessert” a cookbook written by one of my favorite vegan bloggers Hannah Kaminsky. Her blog is called “Bittersweet” and I highly recommend that you check it out – it’s simply fabulous! She also has a wonderful scone recipe I wanted to try but I needed peanut butter and simply didn’t have enough already here at home. I will definitely be making it in the future though!

Chocolate Chip Scones – makes 8

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 1/3 cup plain or vanilla soy milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut in the margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
   
3. Add the soymilk, vanilla, and chocolate chips and stir until just blended. Do not overmix. (I have a confession here, I stirred a bit, but then I used my hands to work the dough – though not too much as recommended).
4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick circle.
   
5. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Serve warm or add the glaze I topped the scones with below.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze– again, I didn’t have peanut butter, so I simply left it out – the glaze still came out delicious

• 1/3 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Dutch Process Cocoa Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Plain Soymilk

Combine all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly until smooth then drizzle over the cooled scone.

ENJOY ~ Lita