When I lived in San Francisco many years ago, I was obsessed with the huge scones from a wonderful bakery called 101 Carl. Those rich, buttery scones with currants and a sweet orange glaze probably contributed to my high cholesterol … but oh my, they were amazing.

I regularly pestered the baker to give me their recipe, and he adamantly refused. Then I found out he had an obsession of his own – with a singer who I managed at the time (it’s true, I wasn’t always a copywriter/food blogger). Speaking in hushed tones, we arranged a trade: a rare demo tape in exchange for the scone recipe. Eureka!

Alas, I can’t make those scones today because of my @#!&#%! heart issues. But I can definitely make scones that are delicious in their own right. Today I made a vegan version with whole grains, nuts and dried blueberries – and not too much sugar or oil. I was worried they’d turn out like rocks, but that wasn’t the case at all. They had a crumbly, scone-like texture right out of the oven. In fact, I recommend eating them in the first few hours, because they get very soft after being wrapped or covered up overnight.

If you want scone satisfaction without the guilt, give these a whirl.

Whole-Grain Vegan Blueberry Scones

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cinnamon
1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted and ground
1/4 cup organic canola oil or other neutral oil
2/3 cup soymilk + 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup light brown sugar
grated zest of one small orange
½ cup dried blueberries

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl. (You can skip this step and just lightly mix them, but I recommend the sifting.) Gently stir in the ground pecans.

Mix the soy milk and vinegar and let stand for 5 minutes. Then whisk in the sugar, vanilla and orange zest.

Drizzle the oil over the flour mixture and mix with your fingers until a bit crumbly.

Stir in the liquids and dried blueberries, mixing just until combined.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop ¼ cup of dough onto the sheet (I used my measuring cup) and gently shape into a round disc. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the scones about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 8 or 9 scones

My blogger friends have some great scone recipes, too:

Chocolate Cherry Sea Salt Scones from Savvy Eats

Vegan Raspberry Scones from Eating Rules

Low Fat Cherry Cardamom Scones from The Verdant Life

I was craving soba noodles (odd craving, I know), but wanted to make something different than your typical sesame soba noodle salad. I had avocado and mango on hand, and mint overtaking my back yard, so I put them all to use in this tropical take on soba noodles.

This is one of those dishes that will wow everyone you serve it to. With the sweet and sour tang of mango and lime, the creamy avocado and the fresh taste of mint, it’s the perfect summer lunch.

And of course it’s also good for you. If you use 100% buckwheat soba noodles, you’ll have the most nutritional benefits. Buckwheat is fascinating because it contains the flavanoid rutin. That’s one reason why diets high in buckwheat have been tied to lower cholesterol. The mango adds more fiber, plus vitamins A and C.

This is going into high rotation in my household. And hopefully in yours, too.

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Soba Noodle Salad with Avocado, Mango and Mint

2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon agave nectar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

8 ounces soba noodles

1 medium avocado, cubed

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)

2/3 cup cubed ripe mango

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

2 scallions, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, agave, oils, and salt.

Cook the soba noodles according to the package directions, being careful not to overcook – you want them on the firmer side. Drain, then rinse very thoroughly with cold water until all traces of starchiness are gone, and drain again.  (It helps to gently swish the noodles around a bit with your hands as the water runs over them.)

Gently combine the noodles, dressing, avocado, jalapeno, mango, mint and scallions. Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

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