The sun came out for me to eat lunch!! She’s been in and out of the clouds all day, so I’m hoping she’s out for good.
Before the sun came out, I was thinking split pea soup for lunch, but after – what else but a fresh salad! I used some of our CSA greens for the base. I’m not quite sure what kind of greens they were, but they were tender enough for a salad so I ate them!
I made a delicious homemade balsamic vinaigrette to go with them:
- 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- 1.5 tsp honey dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp EVOO
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (the most important ingredient)
Shake all together in a jar.
I also broiled some of our new radishes and carrot slices for about 8 minutes (thanks Julz for the recommendation!). In In Defense of Food, Pollan says one pro of CSAs is that you eat veggies you otherwise wouldn’t. I’ve never been fond of radishes – my dad used to eat them raw with salt when I was little and they just tasted too grassy for me. Well, of course I like them now. But I thought they were WAY better cooked than raw. Raspberries and goat cheese rounded out the salad 🙂
I also made a ham and cheddar sandwich, complemented with jalapeños, romaine and mustard.
And lastly, kiwi and Fage:
It’s been so nice to eat lunch at home this week. My summer school night chemistry starts in a week and a half, and during the 3 weeks of just that course I’ll be making more dinners for lunch and lunches for dinner (since the course is from 6-9pm). Then in early June, I start my 5 weeks of summer school craziness (8 am to 9pm practically straight through), and I’ll be eating both lunch and dinner away from home. It’s going to be 5 weeks of on-the-run packed meals. Hopefully those 5 weeks will lend some good tips on eating healthy when you don’t have a minute to spare.
I Baked A Cake
Well, not technically. I tried scones again. This time it was Cooking Light’s Lemon-Walnut Scones (minus the lemon plus chocolate chips). Well, these are delicious – if you like CAKE!! They are not scones. Scones should be crumbly and dry!! Nevertheless, they do taste good. I had a piece of one but did well resisting licking and nibbling. I only licked the bowl and there wasn’t much left!
Please help me find a crumbly scone recipe that doesn’t call for 2 sticks of butter!! (I did use real butter in these but I think the problem was the milk. I think I need a drier dough.) Any tips?
Cake:
The crust is great – very scone-like. But it’s the inside that needs work. Again, I think I just need less liquid in my dough.
Nick says
More raspberries! I love them in salads, or any fruit for that matter. Glad the sun came out for ya, I love eating lunch outside if possible, especially if you’re couped up inside all day at work/school.
Those sure look like scones, and if nothing else, they look real tasty. A great base for experimentation perhaps?
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Meg says
Hi Kath,
I have a question about oats (your favorite!). Are oats always necessarily whole grain? It seems to me that they would be, but I’m not sure. I found a granola that I really like where the first ingredient is “Organic Rolled Oats.” However, the box doesn’t say “whole” anything in the ingredients list or anywhere else. Does this mean it’s not a source of whole grain? Or is it, just becuase it’s mostly oats?
Thanks!
JennC says
Hey, sorry about the scones… the butter is def a problem… although my strawberry scones were nice, dry, and crumbly but the dough was difficult to manage 🙁
Allison K. says
Yum, I’m not a fan of the dry crumbly scones (maybe if I had proper scones with proper English Tea). I think those “cake” scones look amazing.
Romina says
Your salad is lovely!
pepper says
Hey kath, I have a schedule that requires 2 meals a day away form home too. I love salads, but I’m very particular about texture (like yourself). I take salads with me in three containers:
1. greens – must put a paper towel in the container to wick away any extra moisture which causes greens to get soggy (instant salad ruiner for me)
2. toppings – veggies, cheeses, nuts
3. dressing
For me, this was the only way to keep lettuce perfectly fresh and not soggy from when I pack lunch (the night before) to when I eat it (almost 24 hours later). Love your blog and keep up the great work!
Rebecca says
I was going to give you my family recipe for scones, which are crumbly, buttery, heavenly… but they indeed use 2 sticks of butter. Here’s a link to a recipe from EatingWell which I’ve had bookmarked for a while but have yet to try. They claim they’re crumbly, we’ll see.
http://eatingwell.com/recipes/oat_scones.html
Lisa says
Sorry, Kath, it’s butter that creates crumbly-ness and flakiness in baked desserts like that. No way around it.
Ryane says
Mmmm, Rachael Ray made some fried goat cheese this morning, made me think of the blog!!
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/fried-goat-cheese-salad/
Heather says
Gorgeous salad! I’m intrigued by the broiled radishes. The raspberries and goat cheese look wonderful, too.
Sorry about the scones 🙁 That’s annoying. Are they straight out of the oven? Maybe they’ll get a little more crumbly as they cool down.
Lovely tablecloth, btw!
JennC says
Rebecca I want your recipe!
hk says
I’ve been browsing around for a healthier scone recipe….here’s what I’ve found thus far. I havn’t baked them myself, but the recipe looks pretty promising…let me know 🙂
Blueberry-orange scones:
ervings = 8 | Serving size =1 scone
This recipe can be multiplied by 2.
The scones will keep sealed in plastic for about 36 hours. The scones will keep sealed in plastic, refrigerated and reheated for about 96 hours.
2 cups all purpose whole wheat
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
1 tsp fresh grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup non-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup blueberries
2 Tbsp non-fat buttermilk
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Sift the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Cut in the softened butter with the tines of a fork or a pastry knife. It is well blended when the mixture is the consistency of coarse corn meal.
Add the orange juice and orange peel slowly while kneading the batter (I use a rubber spatula). Continue kneading while adding the buttermilk. The mixture will become a sticky dough.
Gently fold in the blueberries taking care not to let any burst.
Divide the dough into eight small triangles onto a non-stick cookie sheet.
Mix together the 2 Tbsp. buttermilk and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and gently wash the tops of the scones. Place in the oven and bake for about 15 – 18 minutes until the tops of the scones are golden.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: one scone | Servings 8
Calories 188 | Calories from Fat 30
hk says
:)….and I’m back with yet another pretty impressive looking scone recipe (banana bran…sounds YUM!)
Banana Bran Scones
Cooking Light’s
Banana-Bran Scones
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup oat bran
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup ripe mashed banana (about 2)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons fat-free buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Combine banana and brown sugar in a medium bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add flour mixture and 1/4 cup buttermilk alternately to banana mixture, stirring just until moist.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 1 1/2 minutes with floured hands. Pat dough into a 6-inch circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into, but not through, dough. Brush 1 1/2 teaspoons buttermilk over surface of dough; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; cool on wire racks.
Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 scone)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 126(25% from fat); FAT 3.5g (sat 1.9g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 3.2g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 54mg; SODIUM 204mg; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 1.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.2g
Elise says
the thing with scones (the ones you want: light and flakey) is that BUTTER is the key ingredient. Maybe you can find a recipe that uses less butter? but I don’t think you can achieve the taste you want without it. **also, the more whole grains in flour, the heavier the dough will be=more doughy. Use pastry or white flour to achieve the airy, flakiness you desire.
Katers says
Ooooh, I love the combo of goat cheese and raspberries! Good one!
Serena says
I agree that butter adds the crumble, although I have actually had good luck with an all natural scone mix that you just add water too – no butter. It’s by Sticky Fingers bakery and I find them at Cost Plus/World Market: http://www.stickyfingersbakeries.com/specialty_food_scones.asp
VeggieGirl says
So glad that the sun came out for lunch, so that you could truly enjoy your refreshing salad!
Those “cake-y scones” look marvelous!! :0)
LT says
prob. a very sill question, but what does CSA stand for??
texasfoodie says
Community Supported Agriculture
is that right?
Sunsparklejl says
What the heck is EVOO?
yaz says
extra virgin olive oil
Tina says
YUM to that lunch! All my favorite foods! So colorful too!
Kath says
meg,
Oats are whole grain. I think they don’t need to say it because there aren’t really refined oats to contrast? Here’s a Q&A I found on the FDA site:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flgragui.html
Question: Should rolled oats be considered a whole grain?
Answer: In the U.S. most oats are flattened to produce rolled oats, or steamed and flattened to create “quick oats.” Rolled oats and “quick oats” processed simply by flattening and/or steaming should be considered whole grains because they contain all of the bran, germ, and endosperm of whole oats.
And a more elaborate explanation:
http://www.namamillers.org/prd_o.html
pepper ,
Thanks for the salad tip!
Rebecca ,
Thanks for that EatingWell recipe!! I’m definitely going to try it next week.
hk ,
Thanks for the recipes! That Banana Bran was on the same page as my walnut one and I ALMOST made it instead, but I didn’t have butter milk or bran so I went with the walnut.
Serena ,
I think I tried that mix a long time ago – the apricot ones?? It was good, but I’d love to do one from scratch. And I think they were a little too cakey as well.
Kath
Allyson says
I don’t know that much about baking, but maybe leave the scones in the oven a little longer to dry out? Cake-like scones with chocolate chips sounds great tho! 🙂
claire says
kath,
Have you tried looking on english websites to find a scone recipes that you might like?
www.bbcgoodfood.com has a couple of scone recipes.
BethT says
I reaaaaaaaaaaally hate to say it….but I don’t think good low fat/non buttery scones are possible. It’s just one of those things that are quite reliant on the butter to give them their texture. You can reduce it, but I think the more you try to substitute and swap out the butter, the less desirable results you will get.
Ally says
I could live off of raspberries!
You’ll find the perfect scone recipe, you’re bound to! Maybe you’ll have to ‘splurge’ on a two sticks of butter batch? They look great though despite the cake texture.
Kath says
Clare,
Thanks for the link. I think Americans like their scones “moist” and cakey and I’m after the English/Scottish style because that’s what I had in Cambridge.
BethT,
I think it can be done because I think it’s more dry than buttery I’m after. But it might take a LOT more experimentation! The EatingWell recipe looks good and they cut out a lot of the butter. But they are still well over 200 calories each. But if that’s what it takes… 🙂
Kath
Jenna says
all this time ive been wondering what EVOO is too…thanks for clarifying. Who knew it was something so simple? Acronyms be damned! haha
Jenna says
Hey Kath,
Can you give us an update in tonight’s post on your experience thus far with intuitive eating? Maybe we can generate a good discussion about everyone’s progress too!
rachel k says
kath! you have to try fosters market scones: http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipes.php?recipe_id=51
they are so good, and authentic tasting.
not the healthiest…but you could probably substitute butter for smart balance and get the desired effect.
i really like them with mixed berries (i use frozen mixed berries). i’ve also made them with lemon zest and cinnamon–tasty combo too.
BethT says
You know, I was looking for a more “valid” reason for using butter in scones and found this:
Urban Peasant Scones
These scones are considerably different from the butter scones above, and may be more familiar to those used to British scones. The recipe is from James Barber’s cooking show, The Urban Peasant. They’re really quick to make and quite tasty.
Mix two cups of flour, one teaspoon salt, one tablespoon baking powder, one tablespoon baking soda, and one tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Moisten into a dough with about a cup of plain yoghurt. Roll out on a floured board to about a quarter inch in thickness, cut in to circles, and bake at 425F until lightly browned on top (just a few minutes). I use a drinking glass to cut them out, and also like to add a couple handfuls of raisins before adding the yoghurt. The recipe makes somewhere around a dozen depending on how thin you roll them and how big your cutter is.
yaz says
I found this link in one of my art and advertising textbooks, I thought it was interesting and wanted to share.
It’s about eating disorders.
http://www.eating.ucdavis.edu
Kiala says
I don’t like scones.
Sorry.
arielle says
I’m not a scone fan, either. I’d much rather have something that’s moist. And also chocolate.
Obviously, I’m a brownie fan.
Tina O. says
Ina made a salad with warm goat cheese today-it looked so good-I want her to be my friend! Of course I would be 300 lbs!
There’s a place I get salad with nut crusted goat cheese and raspberry vinaigrette-mmm, so good!
Sidi says
So, the SUN is a SHE. How could I think it’s a HE? Shame on me!
Sweet Potato Amy says
KATH HAVE YOU HEARD OF PB2 PEANUT BUTTER?!?!?!?!?
I decided it was necessary to say that in all caps b/c it is ammmmazing–I went to a dietician today to find out my bmr (I’m so glad you mentioned having that done because I got some great meal ideas from her and I have an eye-opening bmr, higher than I imagined!), and one healthy food she recommended was this pb2, available in the health food section of the grocery store.
It’s made from dehydrated peanuts, and you simply measure out 1 or 2 tablespoons, and combine it with half the amount of water and stir, and voila–it tastes better than any natural pb or regular I’ve ever had and it is only about:
2 grams of fat per 2 tbsp and only 50 calories!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, sorry that this post is off-the-wall enthusiastic but I was just amazed by how good the product is for so few calories! Happy almost-Friday and thanks, as always, for everything you do!
Amy
BethT says
Tina O, I have made that Ina Garten salad. The fried goat cheese is fab.
hillary says
you should try a biscotti recipe instead. i use ones from cooking light a lot. they are a little crunchier than a scone, but do not require any butter. i bet you could undercook them slightly to get a more scone-like quality/
Kiala says
mmmm….brownies.
jsr31 says
Sweet Potato Amy–
What store were you able to buy PB2 at? I have only heard of ordering it online and I don’t want to have to order it in mass quantity.
CourtneyS says
I’ve been cooking Ina’s recipes for years and they’re very easy to adapt and/or eat in moderation. The warm goat cheese salad is one of our favorites and you can easily replace the butter and oil with cooking spray.
On scones: the reason the butter makes them flaky is because it releases steam when it hit the heat, then evaporates. So if you could find something to do the same thing to the dough…
I just use the 2 sticks of real butter, eat one, and give them away, but that’s just me. Baked goods don’t keep me full so I only make them on weekends.
Kath, lovely salad. I adore goat cheese!
Tina O. says
CourtneyS-
Thanks for the cooking spray tip! I hadn’t thought of that. I may make that salad tomorrow night. I can’t wait!
Sweet Potato Amy says
Hey jsr31! The PB2 was at Hy-vee, a Midwest grocery store, in their natural foods section. I know that particular grocery store is very open and accommodating toward customer requests for new items, so perhaps a store around you would consider it if asked? Hope this helps and that it comes to a store near you soon!
Kath says
Sweet Potato Amy,
PB2 sounds like a cool product – I have researched it before. But I like my PB how it is! I’d like to try it, but I don’t see myself eating it regularly on my quest to eat as many whole foods as possible (just finished In Defense of Food this afternoon). But thanks for sharing, and I’m glad to hear it’s good 🙂
K
CourtneyS says
Tina, a good nonstick pan helps, too. That way the breading doesn’t fall off the goat cheese. I just mentioned to my boyfriend that we haven’t had that salad in awhile. Enjoy it tomorrow!
Kath, I made the chicken with goat cheese and honey mustard tonight (and topped with almonds since I had some open.) Thanks for testing out that recipe! I served it with roasted asparagus and whole wheat couscous topped with pinenuts.
Christie says
KAth I posted a commen before but I gues it did not go through… to replace buttermilk you can add a tsp of vinegar to skim milk and let it sit.
A good blod with great healthy scones recipes is
http://www.uniquelittlebits.com/ULB/Categories.html
ttfn300 says
anyone tried any of the scone recipes from eating well? i’ve had good luck with the few baked goods i’ve tried from their site…
don’t think i’ve posted before but i enjoy the site! Sometimes it helps reading other people’s combos to get some new ideas! keep up the good work 🙂 i wish i had your self control (working on it…)
Stephanie says
I haven’t looked here for any kind of healthy scone, but I have used this site for general scone-y inspiration:
http://members.aol.com/jimg002/scnidx1.html
Blair says
These are delish:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/raspberry-scones
and no butter, but canola instead. I’ve swapped the agave for honey and whole wheat pastry flour for the spelt flour (although the spelt version were good too). I’ve also made them with meyer lemon olive oil and cranberries.
Enjoy!