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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Date and Raisin Oat Biscuits (gluten-free, vegan)

Can you believe it? Winter finally showed up here in West Michigan. We have had blustery cold and snowy weather over the last few days and if you ask me, it's kinda nice. Last week at this time I was thinking at 50 degrees and sunshine, we may just have skipped winter and went straight to spring. Which wouldn't be all bad, but yet, I do like following the seasons for all they have to offer. I like the cycles. The seasons teach me so much about myself. About how there is a time for everything, and that seasons do in fact pass by. Also learning the tension of living in the present, without aching for the past or future, is a good practice to grow in.

And lately I have been enjoying some new patterns in this season: eating more chia seeds, no-sugar and only stevia, and reading historical fiction. It must be January, right? 

January is a good month to find projects inside the house. Or find a good book to pass the time. Or have you heard that it is "oatmeal-month"? I guess oatmeal is a good hibernating food. 
And, baking is a good 'hibernating' pass time. At least I think so :) These biscuits are filled with oats and have zero sugar. Yep, that's right- zero sugar. Only filled with sweet dates and raisins and a splash of stevia.
I have made these biscuits twice in the last week. They have been a perfect snack for my growing toddler. He loves dried fruit, and the oats and chia in this recipe only fill him with whole grains, healthy fats and protein. These biscuits also stick together better than any others I have made before, so great for a small person to hold onto.
Plus, do you remember telling you about the amazing pear butter I have laying around? The pear butter is a perfect dose of sweet and spice, and wonderful for toast, and yes oat biscuits. So not only does my son love these quick snacking biscuits, but my husband and I also love to slather a dose of pear butter on top and enjoy it for all it offers. Delicious!
Date and Raisin Oat Biscuit Recipe (vegan)
1 1/4 cup of gluten-free oat flour
(I grind my own flour from Bob's Red Mill certified gluten-free rolled oats)
2/3 cup of gluten-free rolled oats (I used Bob Red Mill's)
2/3 cup of organic millet flour
2/3 cup of tapioca flour
2 TB of chia seed meal
1/2 ts. of sea salt
1 TB of aluminum free baking powder
3/4 cup of finely chopped dates
1/3 cup of organic raisins

'buttermilk mixture'
1 cup of So Delicious coconut milk beverage (or other non-dairy milk)
juice of one large lemon- about 1/4 cup juice (or sub 2 TB of apple cider vinegar if you do not have a lemon)

1/3 cup of room temperature organic coconut oil
10-12 drops of NuNatural's pure vanilla stevia liquid

Mix all of the dry ingredients together first, and also add the dried fruit and mix well in the flour mixture. Then after letting the milk and lemon sit for 5-10 minutes, pour the milk mixture, oil and stevia into the dry mix and mix well all together. Make sure that after mixing well there is no flour pockets or coconut oil pockets. The batter will look almost like a thick cookie dough and if it is a bit sticky, then you need to let it sit for a few minutes for the oats to absorb the moisture. 


Then roll out a ball of dough, almost like a very large cookie being rolled out. This recipe will make about 12 biscuits (1/3 cup sized or palm sized). Make sure that you roll the dough out and these drop biscuits are spread evenly on a baking sheet. 12 biscuits on the sheet and just press down the balls of dough just slightly. Then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Until the bottoms are golden brown. Then let sit for 5-10 minutes to cool, and viola, you have yummy, sugar-free biscuits to enjoy and devour!
Some Notes:
-If you want to make these biscuits into something more sweet by themselves and say make more of a 'scone' then I would suggest adding 1/3 cup of sucanat or your favorite sweetener. Just a suggestion if you are looking for more of a sweet treat.

- You can sub out the millet and tapioca flour for most all-purpose GF flour mix and it should turn out just fine.

- I think the coconut milk beverage makes a big difference in this recipe. I have made it with other milks and like it best with the coconut.

-You could add different fruit and flavors, but the dates add a lot of sweetness and texture, so I suggest sticking with those with the no-sugar version.
I hope you find space today to breath and enjoy this season. A season of rest and more quiet time.

Much love and light to you today!

Stephanie

1 comment:

  1. OMG, Stephanie, these look incredible! I cannot wait to try the recipe! YUM!!!!!

    ReplyDelete