inspired, healthy, delicious to eat recipes
gluten free and vegan! scones bursting with juicy blueberries and dusted with coconut and almonds, yum!
Just baked and oozing blueberries…
What are you going to do with all those gorgeous blueberries you found at the farmer’s market today… why not bake up a loaf of this Blueberry Tea Cake? It’s as gorgeous as it is delicious and just the perfect treat for an afternoon tea or served up with a side of yogurt or fresh whipped cream and even more berries for a lightly sweet breakfast or brunch treat. 
I have been experimenting a lot with gluten free baking lately and not because I’m allergic to wheat, but more because I think I have a sensitivity to it, and also because I think it’s simply better for my own body at least, to just eat less processed grains. My problem with a lot of gluten free baking recipes and packaged gluten free flour mixes is the addition of starches like potato or tapioca. I simply don’t like the slightly paste like texture that these starches seem to add to muffins, scones, etc, plus they are pretty low on fiber content and other nutrients. So, to that I’ve been using a lot of oatmeal and oats ground into a flour right in my bullet blender, just before using.
I do love oats, add oats to a recipe and I’m a happy girl. Not only do I love the taste, texture and nutritional value oats bring, I find they work well in my system and that is always a good thing!
I actually adapted this recipe for blueberry tea cake from my own (not gluten free), lemon chia tea cake. In this case, I made it gluten free and dressed it up with some beautiful juicy blueberries, when you flip the cake out of the loaf pan the bottom looks as if it’s been tie dyed by the sweet berries, so gorgeous!
With the addition of buttermilk, this cake bakes up perfectly moist and tender. I also soak some rolled oats into the buttermilk (a trick I use in my oatmeal pancakes too), which adds to the lovely texture of the cake. If you want to make this dairy free, use your plant milk of choice, such as soy or almond and add the lemon juice right in with the oats, works perfectly. Continue reading
Blueberry Almond Scones topped with Blueberry Mascarpone
It occurs to me that maybe I should have named this blog Lemon & Oats or Oatmeal & Zest, considering how many of my recipes here include both oats and lemon. So, here’s one more for you… Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Scones, and yes they even have lemon zest! I really do love scones, probably even more than muffins or cookies, they make a tasty little breakfast treat or afternoon snack. They are delicious on their own or even better topped with a little cream cheese and jam, like the mascarpone cream cheese jam I used here. 
For a more substantial breakfast, serve with a side of yogurt and berries OR as a “breakfast dessert” with your eggs. Some people in my home have even been known to top theirs with a smear of peanut or almond butter, also quite tasty. If you’re a traditionalist or hail from the British Isles, you may question my use of the term scone here, but to me these are my perfect Americanized interpretation with a nice crumby texture, not too moist and not too dry. I use a lot less butter than many versions, but the yogurt adds extra moisture and a little tang, plus some protein to boot. I love scones with all kinds of mix ins and though the rest of my family will almost always opt for chocolate, I prefer a mix of fruit and nuts, which often leads to multiple versions being made all on the same morning! Blueberries and almonds are one of my favorite combinations, they just work well together and lemon zest adds a little bit of extra flair to the flavor. I use a combo of vanilla and almond extracts here, but you could easily go with all of one or the other if you prefer. A quick and easy recipe perfect for any lazy weekend morning. 
Blueberry Almond Oatmeal Scones
Author: Sweet Green Kitchen’s Jen Jones
Makes 16 scones
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 Tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup natural cane sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Zest of ½ lemon
3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter – cut into small cubes
1 extra large egg
½ cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular is fine, vanilla would be ok too, just a little sweeter)
¼ cup milk of your choice (I use plain soy milk, but cow, almond, etc should work just fine)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 cup blueberries – fresh or frozen
sweetgreenkitchen 
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