Vegan Scones

I have been dreaming of them swimming in butter ever since my Enid Blyton days along with the secret seven and five find-outers, and concocting such interesting stuff in my not so 'happening' or 'adventurous' childhood. (I mean harassing the teachers, making the bus driver go so mad that he wouldn't take me in, burning my hair with candle light to get curly hair seemed quite staid back then!). Later I found William's Cook (Of the William series by Richmal Crompton) making them almost every other day and Miss Marple (Of Agatha Christie) having them with tea in her sophisticated English manner. I remain indebted to all these writers who devoted generous time and pages to describing high tea and evening tea so elaborately, and most of all I am thankful to H who gifted us an OTG for our wedding.

When we opened the wedding gifts, and saw the OTG, P had suggested giving it away already deciding that I would never use it. I however clung on to the OTG, and would not let go of it. Like all my other 'handicrafts' the OTG too remained in hibernation for three years, and in 2000 I baked my first cookie (I am a late bloomer in the field of cooking). After that I started baking cakes a lot but then I never took pictures - I wasn't blogging:). You could say my oven has seen it all - my egg-obsession, my vegetarian obsession, and now my vegan trial......, and the poor Sancho Panza has stood valiantly in my kitchen aiding me in my Quixotic culinary adventures! Sancho still serves me well except for drawing more current, not heating up soon, and taking double the time every recipe gives!! Please give me your suggestions as I might have to take a new one soon! Meanwhile my oven and I will embark on more quixotic adventures.

The 'dream' became remote when my first ones ended up with the label 'I need help here'. I have many clues as to what went wrong - I did not know my oven:) That was in March! Sometime back I came across this recipe at 'Diana's Desserts' that sounded very easy. I changed it quite a lot to turn it vegan, but the end result was so good, I am sure it is better than the one there. I am glad I had taken pictures all along. The recipe gave me about ten wedges each an isosceles triangle with two sides of 3" and base of 2" (I am sorry about the Mathematical precision but when I try a new recipe these things are important to me to let me know whether I am going the right way, so I guessed someone else might need it too). By evening there was nothing left for 'P' to even taste.

I am sure you saw what it was - the dream was a scone:)

Recipe
(Source - Adapted to vegan from the Vegetarian version at Diana's Desserts)

Ingredients:
A. Dry - to be sifted together:
1 cup - APF
1 cup - Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. - Baking Powder

B. Ingredients for the wet portion:
1/2 cup - Boiled and grated sweet potato
4 tbsp. - Vegan Margarine/butter softened
5 tbsp. - Firm Tofu
1 tsp. - Lime juice
Stevia syrup - About a tsp. (The package gives instructions to make the syrup. By itself the syrup does have a bitter-sweet taste but not when it is added. It is a natural sugar substitute. Please read more about stevia here)

C. Others:
Dates - 1 soft one chopped
Raisins - About 10 to 12

D. Soymilk - About 2tbsps. or just enough to help you knead the dough.

Method:
Keep A aside in a wide bowl.

Place the B ingredients in a mixer jar and whip till absolutely creamy.

Make a center in A, add B, and bring together to form a dough. If it is a little crumbly add just enough soymilk to help you form a dough. Not a smooth elastic one, we just want the dough to come together and not actually knead enough to form gluten.

Roll into a 1/2" thick circle. Cut into wedges. I made ten wedges with the measurements given above.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200deg.C. for about 25 to 30 minutes, till they turn light golden brown.

Remove and serve warm with jam or butter.

I liked mine with black currant jam (Diabetic), but my son loved his without any topping. This one is a quick, ideal breakfast or tea time snack. It is healthy too - low on sugar, and as the site said it is for diabetics but, I see no reason why I should not go chomp, chomp.....look at me go:)

I am sending this to Sangeeth's Fight Diabetes Event.

I see no reason why diabetics should not much on something sweet once in a while. I have aniece who is a juvenile diabetic, and she is always 'in control'. These scones should satisfy an occasional sweet craving!

Update on 30.11.08

I have provided a recipe that can be consumed in small portions to satisfy 'sweet hunger pangs', but please take this moderation. When you have a special condition, always check with your nutritionist what is right for you before trying out something new. Remember that sweets taken in large portions may cause problems even if the sweeteners are natural or artificial. There is always refined carbohydrates like APF or other flours in most desserts and sweets.