sweet miscellany

You know how I mentioned in my last post that it’s peach season here in Texas and that I bought around 10 lbs at the farmer’s market? Well… it might be peach madness around here for the next few weeks and I’m kind of not sorry about it.

It seems like the majority of my thoughts lately are occupied with ways I can incorporate peaches into things. I’ve already been eating one every morning atop my granola and have made a batch of peach jam for my shop. Last weekend I was thinking about how good it is when you add fresh fruit to guacamole, and then a lightbulb went off and peachy guacamole was born.

Maybe guacamole purists will scoff at this idea, but it was pretty dang good and it made me wish I had more once I had finished it off. I ate some of it with some homemade baked tortilla chips, and the rest went on some leftover squash tacos I made from Kelsey’s recipe over at happyolks. I’m pretty convinced you could put this guacamole on anything and it would taste amazing. So, seek out some local peaches and get to it!

Peachy Guacamole
notes: I would suggest making this right before you want to serve or eat it since avocados can turn brown rather quickly. You probably won’t have to worry about leftovers because it will be hard not to finish it once you taste it!

2 small avocaods
1/2 of a small red onion, diced small
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 small peach, diced
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
pinch of sea salt

Dice the flesh from the 2 avocados and add it to a small mixing bowl. Gently mash the avocado (I like mine a tad chunky) until it’s the consistency you want it. Add a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice, and then the red onion, cilantro, peach, and a small pinch of sea salt. Toss everything together and then taste for seasoning. This will make around 1 cup of guacamole and should be served or eaten immediately. Enjoy!

If you would like to enjoy the guacamole with homemade baked tortilla chips like I did, simply take any tortilla of you liking, rub a bit of olive oil over both sides, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly golden and crisp. When you bake them, make sure they don’t overlap or they won’t crisp up completely.

Man oh man is it already hot outside! While it’s only in the lower 90s where I live, it’s already been upwards of 100 where I’ve been working these past weeks. I’m sweating just thinking about it. But, heat means summer, and summer means lots of gorgeous produce to swoon over. Berries and peaches anyone?

There are two important things to tell you about before I do the usual photos and recipe. First of all, peaches are now in season, at least in Texas! I think I bought about 10 pounds at the farmer’s market this morning, which is probably a tad over-doing it, but I plan to use them for jamm-y purposes in the near future. Second, my best friend of over 20 years is getting married in a week! Woo hoo! I brought these little scones to her shower using the first of the summer peaches.

If you don’t have fresh peaches yet where you are, you can use frozen ones. Just make sure to thaw and drain them well before adding them to the scones. And, if you don’t like ginger, leave it out and up the amount of cinnamon just a bit for more of a peach cobbler-inspired scone.

Vegan Ginger Peach Scones
notes: Since this recipe uses measurements by weight, I’ve given an approximation of the amount of flax and water that will yield the 2 oz of the flax “eggs” needed. You will have a bit left over after weighing it out. I’ve used spelt flour here so these scones are wheat free, however they are not gluten free. To make them gluten free, use 6 oz of your favorite gluten free mix.

6 oz light spelt flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp coarse raw sugar (demerara) plus more for sprinkling on top
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/4 tsp each of ground cinnamon and ground ginger
2 oz coconut oil, solid
2 oz coconut milk
2 oz “flax egg” (mix 2 tbsp flaxmeal with 6 tbsp water and set aside to thicken)
3/4 to 1 cup fresh diced peaches
2 tbsp minced crystalized ginger

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, sugar, salt, and spices until combined. Combine the peaches and crystalized ginger in a small bowl and then add a bit of the flour mixture. Toss so that the peaches are coated in the flour mixture and then set aside. Add the coconut oil to the dry ingredients and cut in with a whisk or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Add the peaches and ginger and stir them into the mixture so that they are evenly distributed. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and “flax eggs” until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, then using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently bring the dough together. Dump out the dough onto a well floured surface and knead a few times until the dough comes together into a ball. Transfer the dough to your lined sheet and pat it out into a 1-inch thick circle. Slice the circle into 8 wedges, then bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on the top and edges. Makes 8 medium sized scones. Enjoy!