My senior year of high school, my dad’s old college roommate (my “Uncle” P) took a sabbatical year from his university in Utah after teaching engineering classes and mentoring graduate students for 24 years. Almost every month, he flew out to California to visit us for a few days of running and relaxing. He used his extra time off to train for yet another ultra-marathon… Yes, he regularly participated in 100-mile running races in the Utah mountains!
As a bachelor who loved cooking as much as I love baking, he always prepared a gourmet healthy meal once or twice during each visit. He’d poll us on the first day, asking what we felt like, and after running his 20-30 miles and showering, he’d head to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for dinner.
As I scribbled away at my calculus homework or skimmed through my Brit Lit reading assignments, wafts of browning meat, nutty wild rice, and caramelizing veggies snuck their way through the crack at the bottom of my bedroom door, encouraging me to study harder—and faster!—to get to sit at the dinner table sooner.
On one trip, Uncle P arrived on a Friday and spent the entire weekend with us. On Sunday morning, he rose with the sun (like usual), and by the time my brother and I rolled out of bed, he had already prepared a huge buffet brunch with a tray of French toast warming in the oven, a massive skillet full of scrambled eggs, thick-cut sizzling bacon just finishing on the stove, and lots of fresh fruit. Laughing and nibbling on that surprise breakfast quickly turned into one of my favorite memories!
As a health and running guru, Uncle P generally stuck with a gluten-free diet and avoided refined ingredients as much as possible. He explained that this helped him with distance and he always felt better, so most of the meals he prepared for us followed that trend.
So with those memories recently resurfacing, I decided to cook my own healthy Sweet ’n Spicy Brunch for my family! Packed with protein and lots of lively southwestern flavors, this simple clean-eating meal disappeared in mere minutes from our dining table. The best part? I prepared almost everything the night before, so all of us could sleep in on Sunday!
I made three healthy dishes, each flavored with one of the McCormick Gluten-Free Seasoning Mixes. They recently started selling these at grocery stores. The packets are full of flavor and perfect for adding to all kinds of recipes, not just tacos and chili!
I started with these Sun-Dried Tomato Chili Scones. I used a combination of millet, brown rice, and tapioca flours, plus a little xanthan gum to help with the soft texture. Mixed with the subtle heat and smoky sweetness of the chili seasoning mix, these scones possessed an irresistible flavor combination and were everyone’s favorite dish of the day!
(And yes, everyone snuck seconds too…)
Most people think of scones as dry, crumbly, fat-laden pastries, but these ones are anything but! My lightened-up recipe only requires 4 tablespoons of butter in all 16 scones. The rest of the airy texture comes from Greek yogurt, my favorite ingredient in healthier baking. Greek yogurt adds all of the moisture of butter for a fraction of the fat and calories, so it’s an awesome way to feel like you indulged while still fitting into your skinny jeans!
Because chili always reminds me of cornbread, and my guy always drizzles his slices with his grandfather’s home-harvested honey, I added a sweet honey yogurt drizzle on the scones. It contains just enough sweetness to cut through the spice without detracting from the mesmerizing savory flavor—the perfect combination!
Check out my recipe below, then hit “Next” to see my second recipe!
These chili-spiced scones are guaranteed to be the most popular dish on your breakfast table! They’re so soft and tender, with an irresistible lightly crisp crust and sweet honey yogurt drizzle. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and cover a baking sheet with foil. Lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the scones, whisk together the millet flour and next 6 ingredients (through chili seasoning mix) in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Mix in the yogurt and 7 tablespoons of milk. Gently fold in the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Divide the dough into 16 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, place on the prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Brush with the remaining 4 teaspoons of milk. Bake at 425°F for 10-14 minutes, or until the tops are light golden. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
- To prepare the drizzle, stir together the yogurt and honey in a small bowl. Spoon the mixture into a zip-topped bag, snip off the corner, and drizzle over the scones just before serving.
Get rid of the gluten, but not the flavor with McCormick Gluten-Free Recipe Mixes! Visit the Recipe Collection at allrecipes.com to discover more flavorful gluten free eating and meal ideas!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of McCormick Gluten-Free Recipe Mix. The opinions and text are all mine.