THE ORANGE EDITION: SALAD GRINDS & BEAN PLANTS #59

THE ORANGE EDITION

(Protein-Packed Pumpkin Scones with Pecans and Cinnamon Glaze)

WORDS: Johnny Lozano

Last year I made light of the mad dash for pumpkin-flavored everything that takes America by storm in the final quarter of each year. Well, apparently I need to get off my high horse, because this week’s recipe takes a higher-protein twist on a holiday favorite.

When writing this, I originally wanted to call these traffic (s)cones because of the color and shape—while there’s plenty to write about in terms of the traffic cone’s proliferation in skateboarding (perhaps most evident in Tompkins Square Park), I had to do an about face because it turns out that it’s damn near impossible to find traffic cone photos in skate magazines. So, with that in mind, I set out on a colorful journey and realized that orange is a fairly prolific color in skateboarding.

Now, before you try to point out that this is a pretty attenuated link between skateboarding and food, the omnipresence of a color scheme has been noted in other genres like film—if you don’t believe me, check out the overuse of the orange/blue dichotomy. Still don’t believe me? Check out the BATB 11 color scheme.

While skateboarding is a pretty colorful sport (tie-dyed Grizzly grip, anyone?), orange still seems to make a splash. The orange in a pair of old school Tensors, Steve Olson’s pants, the original éS Contract… these all stand out vividly in a sport where hot pink wheels go unnoticed. In fact, the only time orange seems to be a muted statement is when it’s adopted by Enjoi, one of the (ahem) loudest teams in skateboarding. Forget trying to make a statement in white compression pants, Nyjah, if you want to break the internet, bring orange back.

Along the lines of bringing orange back, fall weather calls for lots and lots of pumpkin sweets; skating calls for minimal refined sugars and a solid balance of carbs and protein. Thankfully, both of these calls to action can be satisfied by these protein-packed pumpkin scones.

I’ve never been much of a scone man. In fact, my feelings on scones mirror Homer Simpson’s feelings on muppets: it’s not quite a muffin, it’s not quite a cookie, but man… I have no idea. That said, these scones kick ass and they’ve got just the right subtle sweetness to make for either a terrific morning or a post-sesh treat: They’re firm, but fluffy; sweet, but hearty; delicious, but simple. They may not be as eye-catchingly vibrant as the hubba that makes us all think of the Misfits, but they’ll certainly get your attention at meal time.

INGREDIENTS:

For Scones:

• 1 ¾ cups oat flour

• ½ cup vanilla protein powder

• 1/3 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

• 2 tsp. pumpkin spice

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• ½ tsp. baking soda

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 6 tbsp. coconut oil (NOT melted)

• ¾ cup pumpkin puree

• 2 tbsp. almond milk

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• ½ cup chopped pecans

For Cinnamon Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar

• 2 tbsp. almond milk

• ½ tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Start by making your glaze since it will need to thicken some while you make the cones; simply add all of the glaze ingredients together in a bowl and stir until the confectioner’s sugar is no longer lumpy. Set it aside.

2. Mix the oat flour, protein powder, coconut sugar, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt all together in a bowl and whisk until even. Add in the coconut oil and mix it with your hands so that it is all combined but granular (it should look like wet sand, rather than a batter).

3. Next, add in the pumpkin puree, almond milk, vanilla extract and pecans and stir with a spoon until it changes from a granular mixture to a doughy mix. It shouldn’t quite be like bread dough, but it should be thicker than a batter and retain its shape somewhat. If it’s too thin, feel free to add in a little more flour until it’s manageable.

4. Knead the dough with your hands and make a ball; flatten it out on a parchment lined baking sheet so that you get a disc of dough about 1” thick. Cut it into 6-8 slices and separate them so that you can see a little space between each slice (you don’t want them to melt together while baking). Bake the scones for 15 minutes or until the outsides are golden and beginning to brown. Use a toothpick to check if they are done—poke the toothpick through the thickest part and if it comes up with any dough stuck to it, throw them back in for another few minutes.

5. Take them out and let them cool for 20 minutes before adding the glaze to the top in whatever manner you like. Now be on the lookout for orange at the skatepark.

Happy shredding,

Johnny

For more recipes, check out www.saladgrindsandbeanplants.com or find us on Instagram at @salad_grinds_and_bean_plants.