Orange Tea Scones and back in NJ

Hello and happy new year!  Well, ninjas, here I am back in New Jersey.  The move went okay; Lucy and Skye are happily terrorizing all break-ables now that they have more space to play in, and I'm now in a better-stocked and more comfortable kitchen, so hopefully I'll be posting recipes a lot more often!  I've also just started a Facebook fan page for this blog, so "like" me and suggest me to friends - especially any friends that cook.  I'm really looking for people to test these recipes and give me feedback, so spread the word to any fellow ninjas/veg*ns/foodies that you might know!

And now on to the newest recipe.  I got up this morning with a hankering for baked goods, and whipped up this recipe to use up some orange marmalade that's been sitting in the fridge since forever.  These not-too-sweet, golden-brown scones with a yummy hint of orange flavor are perfect for a chasing away the cold on a January morning!

Orange Tea Scones
* makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar + 1 teaspoon for sprinkling on tops of scones
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup non-dairy butter, chilled
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup boiling water
2 tea bags (strong black tea works best)
6 Tablespoons flax seeds, ground
1/3 cup soy milk + 1 Tablespoon for brushing the tops of the scones

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 
Steep the two tea bags in the 1/2 cup boiling water for at least 10 minutes and then let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Cut in the non-dairy butter using a pastry cutter or two knives until the butter resembles coarse crumbs.
In a small bowl, whisk together the orange marmalade, flax seeds, soy milk, and tea.  Add to the flour mixture and mix well using a wooden spoon and then form into a ball with your hands.  The mixture will be slightly sticky, but should form a firm ball.  Add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if the mixture is too moist.
On a lightly floured surface, pat the ball into a roughly rectangular shape, about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into 8 triangles - do this by cutting the rectangle into two smaller rectangles, then each of the small rectangles twice diagonally into 4 triangles.  Brush triangles with the 1 Tablespoon soy milk and sprinkle with the 1 teaspoon sugar.  Place onto 2 lightly-oiled baking sheets, about 1" apart.  Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. 
Serve warm or room temperature with lots of hot tea or coffee.  Yum!

Tips and Tricks:

1. Flour - what kind?  I use white whole wheat flour for most of my baked goods.  It's got all the goodness of whole wheat flour with a lighter texture that's more like all-purpose flour.  Of course, all-purpose or a half-and-half mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour would work well also.

2. Flax seeds - The flax seeds MUST be ground for this recipe.  They are used as a binding agent and also add lots of lovely omega-3s :)  You can sometimes find containers of pre-ground flaxseed at the grocery store, but I buy them whole and grind them in a coffee grinder. 


That's all for today; I'm off to un-pack all of my recently-moved stuff.  Remember to "Like" me on Facebook, and, as always, feedback is appreciated!