In the everlasting quest to incorporate very healthy - and tasty - foods into our everyday diet, it's important I chase after some of these healthy takes on yummy bakery classics. This is not your Mama's scone! Especially for Andy, my roommate (who is British), this is definitely not what he is used to. There will be no floury baked goodness, no clotted cream, and no sugary jam. Actually, when it comes to raw recipes, it's all in the head. The only thing familiar here to a traditional scone is that is has some dried cranberries and raisins in it, and was shaped to mimic a scone prior to going into the dehydrator.
This raw scone is so fresh, so healthy, so delicious, I actually feel proud of myself for eating it. If I had humans kids (as opposed to my furry ones), this is the exactly the kind of food I would be feeding them because it is made of the best stuff we can put into our bodies; all natural fruits and veggies. The stars in this scone are: apples, carrots, flaxseed and almond meal. It is low in sugar and high in fiber, rich in omega 3s and 6s, and beta-carotene! :-)
For the people on the fence about raw food, I will say that I am so glad I got a dehydrator in embarking on my quest to learn how to make raw foods. I know the initial cost might be off putting and the concept is different to what has become a traditional 'food' lifestyle, but honestly it it so cool and I am so excited that this adventure is changing my life for the better, that I highly recommend it. It's the kind of thing one should slowly incorporate. No need to culture shock your food world if this is way off the beaten path. But if you want to be kinder to your body, this is definitely one of many ways to do it.
The book I take this recipe from does offer recipes for raw and vegan creams, jam sauce, and miso coconut butter to go with these scones. However, the scones are so good on their own, I didn't see a need to make them.
RECIPE
3 cups applesauce ( from 3 large apples or 4 small ones)
2 cups carrot pulp ( from 4- 5 large carrots)
2 cups almond meal
2 cups raisins
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries
1/2 liquid coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1 cup brown or tan flaxseed
1 cup filtered water
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the applesauce, carrot pulp, and almond meal in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the raisins, cranberries, coconut oil, and agave syrup and stir until well.
Combine the flaxseed and water in the blender and blend until mixed well. Add to the applesauce mixture in the bowl and stir until well mixed.
On dehydrator trays line with Teflex or ParaFlexx sheets or parchment paper, measure about 1/2 cup dough and form into a triangular scone shape. Repeat with remaining dough. Dehydrate for 8 - 12 hours, or until dry or to desired consistency.
Will keep for a week or more in the fridge. The drier they are, the longer they will keep.
Making Carrot Pulp and Applesauce
To make carrot pulp, all you need to do is juice carrots and use what is left over. If you don't have a juicer, visit a local juice bar to order carrot juice and ask to receive the leftover pulp. The pulp gives the scones a lighter texture. Using shredded carrots won't work in the same way since they have more moisture and a different texture from the dry pulp.
Applesauce is super easy to make: Just place cored apples (with or without skin) into the food processor and puree. It's that simple.
CRYSTAL'S NOTES
- Okay- so not everyone will have a juicer and going to a local juice bar may be asking too much. Speaking for myself, that is way too much work. Luckily we have a juicer because it is just another item in our arsenal for better health (and I will be blogging recipes soon). I did juice my carrots and used the pulp as suggested. I removed the carrot pulp from the juicer, saved the carrot juice and pumped 2 apples into the juicer and later used the fresh carrot/apple juice with some vodka on ice for a cocktail (yum!). Of course, it is delicious on it own without the alcohol. Either way, don't let the juice go to waste.
- REMEMBER- this is RAW food! You cannot make traditional applesauce- NO cooking! The apples puree up nicely as described above.
- I added cinnamon to my apple puree.
- Ani did not offer a temperature setting for the dehydrator in her book, but I dehydrated at 105F for the 12 hours. It is to be LIVE food so you cannot dehydrate over 140F and you want low and slow for a nice even dehydrated scone. It also allows you to monitor over time to see what you like and don't like. I picked at one scone and we tasted every few hours to test how moist or dry we liked it. In the end, we liked the 12 hour drying time.
- If anyone is ho-hum about the drying time, first- the food assembly is fast and once you pop it in the dehydrator and move on to do chores or hobbies, you will forget about it and the time will fly. Second- the energy usage is minimal. Here is a site where this woman does an at home comparison of dehydrators in terms of effectiveness and also has done the math for electricity consumption. I am sure 12 hours sounds like a lot but you will find cost is minimal due to the wattage of the dehydrator. She even provides a link to explain how she arrived at her dollar figure.
- You can modify this recipe. I used 1 cup purple and 1 cup golden raisins. I was going to add nuts but decided not to. I am sure you can add currants, or most kinds of dried fruit/nuts and it's going to taste fab!
- Almond Meal (ground up almonds) is available at most stores. Click here to see what you are looking for. It can be tricky to make on your own at home (avoiding making a nut butter while getting it finely ground) but is doable in a pinch.
Enjoy!