Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones

Expectation: To test a variety of different scone recipes with whole grain ingredients and find the best one!

Winner: Meyer Lemon Cranberry Scones

I decided to begin with scones, so I found a recipe on Epicurius.com that looked like it might work well with some adjustments, and I was looking for a way to use some Meyer lemons that came in our veggie box. These scones were the winner because of their great lemon flavor and light texture. My dad said they were the best scones he had ever had (I think he's a little biased), and they were enjoyed by everyone who got to sample them.

I made these scones three different ways. The first time exactly as written (without whole grains), the second time with whole grain ingredient substitutions, and the third time with whole grain substitutions and possibly regular lemons (it turns out Meyer lemons are hard to find in grocery stores). We actually ended up grabbing a lemon that had fallen off our neighbors tree which we suspected might be a Meyer, because of it's orange-y smell and smoother skin, but I can't say for sure.

I chose oat bran over whole wheat flour because I was hoping to steer clear of the "whole wheat taste", and in fact - it worked! I also added some flaxseed meal for good measure. The only difference between the whole grain version and the regular was a slight texture, which I thought made them even more tasty.

I did a bunch of calculations and this is my best estimate of the nutrition facts for one scone:

153 calories
8g fat
18g carbohydrate
2g fiber
GI 56
GL 9

About the grains:

Oat Bran is the outer coating of oats, which contains the bulk of the soluble fiber and other nutrients. Oat bran is a good source of iron, potassium and thiamin.

The carbohydrate content of oat bran is even lower than that of whole oats. It has a GI value of 55.

It is a safe bet to substitute 1/3 of white or all-purpose flour with oat bran in recipes. It can be found at most supermarkets.

Flaxseed Meal is ground up flaxseed, which is a great source of omega-3s. Whole flaxseed has a tough outer coating, which makes it hard to digest the important nutrients. By grinding it into meal, you can digest the large amounts of fiber, as well as the natural antioxidants (called Lignans - two tablespoons of flaxseed has as much as 30 cups of fresh broccoli), and Alpha-linolenic Acid (the plant version of omega-3s).

I was unable to find the GI or GL value of flaxseed, but all the information out there points to a low one.

Flaxseed meal can be used in most recipes as a substitute for white flour (as I did above), eggs (1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal plus three tablespoons of water = 1 egg), and oil or butter (3 tablespoons = 1 tablespoon of butter, margarine or oil). I also like to sprinkle it on top of cereal, oatmeal and granola.