Post by Christine Frazier

For just about a year now I have been the resident baker here at No Meat Athlete, filling your Fridays with healthy sweet treats.  And during that year, NMA has evolved into a resource for both people kick-starting a new vegetarian lifestyle and runners interested in more natural running fuel.

The response to the Sweet-Tooth Friday series has been wonderful and encouraging, but I started to wonder if I was putting unnecessary limits on what I could offer you.  I had the opportunity to really research baking-as-running-fuel while making the recipes for our book Fuel Your Run The Tarahumara Way. I also began dabbling in the savory side, bringing you recipes like five easy versions of rice and beans and grill-worthy smoky veggie burgers.

The success of these recipes has led me to the decision to develop a weekly vegetarian recipe for you No Meat Athletes, whether it be savory or sweet, with a focus on food fit for an athletic-training diet.  And by popular demand, the nutrition facts will be posted along with each recipe.

Now I just need to figure out what works for you so that you'll have a chance to give these recipes a whirl.  What day of the week is best for a new vegetarian recipe? I was thinking of setting the day mid- to end-week so you'd have time before the weekend to plan, but I'd love to hear what you think.

The Elegant Side Of Energy Bars

This week's Petite Lentil Scones are perfect for runners because they combine dates and agave nectar to get both the immediate boost of sugar to burn as well as a slower-releasing one to keep you going.  Plus, they're portable so you can pack them along.

I made these with Starbucks Petite Vanilla Bean Scones in mind— so easy to pop in your mouth, but I wanted something less likely to leave you crashing later.  That's why besides being animal-free, my version offers protein and fiber that the originals are lacking (as well as less sugar, fat, cholesterol and calories!)

If you've never baked with beans before, get ready to be blown away by how deliciously well they work in desserts— I promise, you'll never guess these are made from lentils.  And I'm no stranger to sneaking beans into desserts; check out my popular black bean brownies, white bean blondies, and homemade energy bars for more I-can't-believe-these-have-beans desserts.

Petite Lentil Scones

Scone Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry lentils (or 2 cups cooked)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried currants or other dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted (about 7 dates)
• 6 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water or nondairy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar

For the Scones:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse 1 cup of dry lentils, then combine with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, until tender.  Drain and let cool.
In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with 1/4 cup of warm water.  Stir and set aside to thicken.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and currants.  Set aside.
In a food processor, process the lentils, dates, agave nectar, almond extract, and flaxseed paste until smooth.  Fold this lentil mixture into the dry ingredients.  Continue folding lightly with a spatula to combine.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten and pat with your hands into about a 10×10 inch square, around 1/2 inch thick.  Cut the dough into 16 equal squares.  Cut each square in half diagonally to make 32 triangles.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle lightly with flour.  Place the cut triangles onto the sheet about an inch apart.  Bake for about 15 minutes, until puffed and firm.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar, water, vanilla extract, and vinegar.  Lightly drizzle the icing across the cooled scones just before serving.

Go ahead and add the glaze and then these energy scones are ready to outshine the Queen's crumpets.   Just stick your pinkies in their air while eating these, and enjoy!

Don't forget, let me know which day you'd prefer to have the weekly vegetarian recipe!

Nutrition Facts for 1 scone with glaze: Calories 89.8, Total Fat 0.6, Saturated Fat 0.1, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 119 mg, Potassium 107 mg, Total Carbohydrates 20 g (Fiber 2.6 g, Sugars 7.3 g), Protein 2.5 g.