Basic Recipe (used in each of my tea biscuit recipes):
1 cup Whole-wheat flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (Quaker oatmeal)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder (optional)
3 tsp Egg Replacer  (or use 2 eggs and add with liquids in below recipes)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp psyllium husk

For this Molasses variation add the following (per the instructions below):
 2 Tbsp freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
4 Tbsp canola oil (or safflower oil, butter, margarine)
1/8 cup Molasses
3/8 cup soy milk (or milk) adjust to make dough
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly butter a cookie sheet.

Instructions for all recipes:
Step 1 – Add one basic recipe into a food processor, add any additional dry ingredients called in the recipe and pulse until mixed.
Step 2 – Add the oil slowing to the dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse or blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  
Step 3 – Add the liquid ingredients slowing to the processor until they form a ball of dough.  *If you add too much milk, add some  more flour until the extra liquid is worked in, the dough should not be sticky.
Step 4 – Place dough on a work surface or large bowl and add any additional ingredients, kneading for one minute or until all ingredients are blended.
Step 5 – Turn dough onto lightly floured board, pat or roll to less than 1/2 inch thick and cut tea cakes using a round cookie cutter or cut into wedges.
Step 6 – Place on cookie sheet and baked for about 15 minutes. If you want a dry tea biscuit, reduce heat and bake longer, checking regularly.

Basic Recipe (used in each of my tea biscuit recipes):
1 cup Whole-wheat flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (Quaker oatmeal)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder (optional)
3 tsp Egg Replacer  (or use 2 eggs and add with liquids in below recipes)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp psyllium husk

For this Chocolate Peanut Butter Tea Biscuit variation add the following (per the instructions below):
 2 Tbsp freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
2 Tbsp canola oil (or safflower oil, butter, margarine)
2-3 Tbsp Peanut Butter (mix with oil to add smoothly)
1/2 cup soy milk (or milk) adjust to make dough
1/4 cup Peanuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly butter a cookie sheet.

Instructions for all recipes:
Step 1 – Add one basic recipe into a food processor, add any additional dry ingredients called in the recipe and pulse until mixed.
Step 2 – Add the oil slowing to the dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse or blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  
Step 3 – Add the liquid ingredients slowing to the processor until they form a ball of dough.  *If you add too much milk, add some  more flour until the extra liquid is worked in, the dough should not be sticky.
Step 4 – Place dough on a work surface or large bowl and add any additional ingredients, kneading for one minute or until all ingredients are blended.
Step 5 – Turn dough onto lightly floured board, pat or roll to less than 1/2 inch thick and cut tea cakes using a round cookie cutter or cut into wedges.
Step 6 – Place on cookie sheet and baked for about 15 minutes. If you want a dry tea biscuit, reduce heat and baker longer, checking regularly.

Basic Recipe (used in each of my tea biscuit recipes):
1 cup Whole-wheat flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (Quaker oatmeal)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder (optional)
3 tsp Egg Replacer  (or use 2 eggs and add with liquids in below recipes)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp psyllium husk

For this Cranberry Orange variation add the following (per the instructions below):
 2 Tbsp freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
4 Tbsp canola oil (or safflower oil, butter, margarine)
1/2 cup soy milk (or milk) adjust to make dough
2 Tbsp Orange zest (more to taste)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly butter a cookie sheet.

Instructions for all recipes:
Step 1 – Add one basic recipe into a food processor, add any additional dry ingredients called in the recipe and pulse until mixed.
Step 2 – Add the oil slowing to the dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse or blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  
Step 3 – Add the liquid ingredients slowing to the processor until they form a ball of dough.  *If you add too much milk, add some  more flour until the extra liquid is worked in, the dough should not be sticky.
Step 4 – Place dough on a work surface or large bowl and add any additional ingredients, kneading for one minute or until all ingredients are blended.
Step 5 – Turn dough onto lightly floured board, pat or roll to less than 1/2 inch thick and cut tea cakes using a round cookie cutter or cut into wedges.
Step 6 – Place on cookie sheet and baked for about 15 minutes. If you want a dry tea biscuit, reduce heat and baker longer, checking regularly.

I will have at least five variations added to this blog that I have made at least once and would make again and again. I will add more as I try out new ones — my daughter and I have come up with a number of ones to try. If they pass our taste test I’ll add them here.
These are great with a cup of tea or coffee or on the go. They don’t need to be refrigerated and they last a long time in an airtight container.   I’ve never tested their shelf life because they get eaten too fast – even making multiple batches they are gone in a couple of weeks. Biscotti can last up to six months, so I expect these should last at least half that, and the dryer they are the longer they will be good.
I haven’t messed up a batch yet, and I’ve tried several without measuring and have even left out the baking powder on several batches and I couldn’t tell the difference. Experiment and try new things!  Keep the basic ratios and major ingredients and you can’t go wrong.

So why are these called tea biscuits. I’ve made scones and biscotti for years and for my scones I typically cut them in the traditional wedges, making about 8 scones per recipe, which were still on the small side compared to the ones you get at a certain coffee store – these have close to 500 calories each, which is nearly one-third of the calories I should eat all day and hardly any fiber! So I started using the cookie cutter to make a uniform size and smaller portion. They are dryer in the center, more like biscotti, so they have a longer shelf life (in theory, no scientific study). My daughter first suggested I didn’t call them scones because it might confuse people who were used to the traditional thick wedges. She suggested the name Tea Cakes – which I started to use, but cakes are light and airy and these are not. Then is struck me. On one of the earlier batches I made, using peanut butter, I forgot to set the timer, so the batch was in the over for at least five extra minutes. Not long enough to burn them, but they were definitely on their way. The result was an extra dry and hard scone (which is what I was calling them at the time, since my recipes were derived from my favorite scone recipe). My daughter didn’t like them because they were really hard and over cooked. She teased me and suggested I give them to the dogs since they were close to being ruined, she suggested they were dry like dog biscuits. Which in fact they were. But even when they aren’t over cooked, the name “biscuit” is really is more fitting than “cake”  — so we have tea biscuits.

Basic Recipe (used in each of my tea biscuit recipes):
1 cup Whole-wheat flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (Quaker oatmeal)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder (optional)
3 tsp Egg Replacer  (or use 2 eggs and add with liquids in below recipes)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp psyllium husk

For this Gingerbread variation add the following (per the instructions below):
2 Tbsp freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cloves, ground
1/2 tsp Ginger (more for extra spicy)
4 Tbsp canola oil (or safflower oil, butter, margarine)
1/8 cup Molasses
3/8 cup soy milk (or milk) adjust to make dough, add milk slowly, adjusting to make a non-stickly dough*
1/4 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and lightly butter a cookie sheet.

Instructions for all recipes:
Step 1 – Add one basic recipe into a food processor, add any additional dry ingredients called in the recipe and pulse until mixed.
Step 2 – Add the oil slowing to the dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse or blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  
Step 3 – Add the liquid ingredients slowing to the processor until they form a ball of dough.  *If you add too much milk, add some  more flour until the extra liquid is worked in, the dough should not be sticky.
Step 4 – Place dough on a work surface or large bowl and add any additional ingredients, kneading for one minute or until all ingredients are blended.
Step 5 – Turn dough onto lightly floured board, pat or roll to less than 1/2 inch thick and cut tea cakes using a round cookie cutter or cut into wedges.
Step 6 – Place on cookie sheet and baked for about 15 minutes. If you want a dry tea biscuit, reduce heat and baker longer, checking regularly.

Basic Recipe (used in each of my tea biscuit recipes):
1 cup Whole-wheat flour
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats (Quaker oatmeal)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder (optional)
3 tsp Egg Replacer  (or use 2 eggs and add with liquids in below recipes)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp psyllium husk

For this Oatmeal Raisin variation add the following (per the instructions below):
2 Tbsp freshly ground Flax Seed (optional)
1 tsp Cinnamon
4 Tbsp canola oil (or safflower oil, butter, margarine)
1/2 cup soy milk (or milk) adjust to make dough
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins 

Instructions for all recipes below:
Step 1 – Add one basic recipe into a food processor, add any additional dry ingredients called in the recipe and pulse until mixed.
Step 2 – Add the oil slowing to the dry ingredients in the food processor, pulse or blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
Step 3 – Add the liquid ingredients slowing to the processor until they form a ball of dough.
Step 4 – Place dough on a work surface or large bowl and add any additional ingredients, kneading for one minute or until all ingredients are blended.
Step 5 – Turn dough onto lightly floured board, pat or roll to less than 1/2 inch thick and cut tea cakes using a round cookie cutter or cut into wedges.
Step 6 – Place on cookie sheet and baked for about 15 minutes. If you want a dry tea biscuit, reduce heat and baker longer, checking regularly.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried red kidney beans, soak overnight or use quick cook method
6 cups water
2 onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme or more to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 fresh hot pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 Tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce or to taste
Salt, white pepper, and ground black pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce
4 cups hot, cooked long-grain brown rice

Drain and rinse the beans after soaking. Place in large saucepan or Dutch over, add 6 cups water, half of the onion, celery and garlic, and all of the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer, partially covered for about 1 hour until the beans are tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Set aside.

In another skillet, heat the olive oil and add the remaining onion, celery, and garlic as well as the bell and hot peppers. Saute until limp about 3 minutes. Add this mixture to the beans along with the parsley, scallions, and Louisiana hot sauce. Season with the salt, white pepper, black pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste and simmer for about 20 minutes until all flavors are well blended. Serve over hot rice and adding hot sauce as desired.

This recipe is slightly modified from a great cookbook for beans and grains call 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans, and Grains by Andrea Chesman published in 1998.  I haven’t tried all 366 recipes but of the many I’ve tried they’ve all been very good. If you are vegetarian or vegan this book will give you many new ways to add wonderful new dishes to your menu.

1 cup dry lentils
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups water
1 7 1/2 can tomatoes, cut up
4 tsp instant vegetable broth granules
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp fennel seed, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1 10-ounce package of frozen spinach (about 2 cups fresh)
1 Tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar

Rinse the lentils and set aside. In a Dutch oven (or large saucepan) heat oil and add the onions and garlic, cook until tender but do not brown.
Stir in the lentils, water, tomatoes, broth granules, Worcestershire sauce, salt, thyme, fennel seed, pepper, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add carrot and spinach, bring to a boil again breaking up the frozen spinach with fork, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Stir in vinegar and discard bay leaf.
Makes 4 servings and about 277 calories and 18 grams of protein for each serving.

This is another recipe modified from my Better Homes and Gardens Cooking for Today Vegetarian Recipes cookbook published around 1993.  I’ve used this book for probably 15 years and it’s full of great recipes.  I hope you like this one, it is one of our favorites.

3 stalks of celery, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 medium carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups water
1 medium potato, diced (1 cup)
1 medium zucchini, sliced (1 cup)
4 tsps vegetable broth granules
1/2 tsp pepper
1 16-oz can tomatoes, cut up and undrained (or 2 cups fresh, chopped)
2 Tbsps parsley, chopped
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven heat the oil and add the celery, carrots, onions, and garlic, cover for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to be transparent.
Add the water, potato, zucchini, vegetable broth granules, and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 10 minutes.   Then  stir in the tomatoes and parsley.
In a small bowl, add about 1 cup of the soup broth into the peanut butter and mix until smooth.  Return the broth–peanut butter mixture to the saucepan and continue simmering and stir until well blended and heated.
This recipe makes 4 servings with about 348 calories and 12 g. protein.

This recipe originated from “Cooking for Today Vegetarian Recipes” Published by Better Homes and Gardens in 1993. I made a couple of adjustments or added comments. I replaced olive oil for margarine or butter to make it vegan friendly which is something I do in most recipes I make. I also added the fresh tomatoes and only suggested vegetable broth but you could also use chicken broth. This is a soup that I have every winter and have come to associate it with the holidays. I hope you try it.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cup drained cooked chick-peas
1/4 cup tahini
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I replaced with water)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp water, as needed
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Grind the beans in a food processor, then add the olive oil, lemon juice and tahini, blending until it’s a coarse paste. Add up to 1 Tbsp water if necessary. The mixture should be very thick but blended well. Add the remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly.

When I make this recipe I usually replace the lemon with water simply because I’ve had hummus that had too much lemon and so now I have a tendency to not like any at all. The recipe turns out good both ways.

This recipe makes about 2 cups or four servings at 115 calories per serving. This is from the book “Vegan Deli, Wholesome Ethnic Fast Food” written by Joan Stepaniak.  I highly recommend this book whether you are vegan or not.  I have more than a dozen recipes from this book and every dish has turned out well and a crowd pleaser, even the meat eaters like them! I don’t mention that these are healthy dishes, it’s my secret.