Grain-free, Lemon Scones

NOVEMBER 21, 2016 by OLIVIA NEELY, RDN, LD

(picture and recipe courtesy of Andrea Nakayama)

Looking for a little something sweet that won’t send your blood sugars on roller coaster ride? Look no further than these delicious lemon scones! With a good balance of protein, healthy fats and grain-free carbs you won’t have to worry about these kicking up your sugar cravings.

But first, let’s appreciate the key ingredient here – the lemon. Did you know….

• Lemon is an antioxidant. It deactivates free-radical damage which can help in the prevention of heart attacks, stroke and cancer.
• Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of nature’s most important antioxidants and one of your immune system’s best friends.
• Although lemons seem acidic in nature, they are actually alkaline in the body, helping to remove acid wastes. This is helpful for many health conditions including arthritis.
• A few drops of lemon in warm water will help to prime the digestive system and support the gate-keeping activities of the liver. This makes lemons one of your top cleansing foods.

Pro-tip: Lemons are on the Environmental Working Group’s list of fruits to buy organic. Even though these fruits have a skin, the skins of non-organic lemons are heavily sprayed with pesticides. If using the zest, be 100% sure that you’re working with an organic lemon.

Serves 3 or more.

Dry ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup ground chia seeds
• 3/4 tspn baking soda
• 1/2 tspn xantham gum
• 1 heaping tspn cinnamon
• pinch salt

Wet ingredients

• 1 flax “egg” (1 Tablespoon flax blended with 3 Tablespoons water)
• 2 Tbspn yacon syrup, coconut nectar or pure maple syrup
• 1 tspn vanilla
• zest of one lemon
• 1 Tbspn fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor, mix together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients into the food processor along with the dry ingredients and pulse until combined.

Form into a ball of dough and place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. With slightly wet hands, press the dough into an even circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Score the scone circle into 6 even wedges.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut through the scored wedges to separate. Place back in oven for 2 to 4 more minutes to allow the edges of the scones to harden slightly. Remove from the oven and let cool…slightly.

Serve warm from the oven with ghee, coconut oil or nut butter!