teaspoon salt

cup chopped walnuts

PREHEAT THE oven to 350F and lightly grease two medium-size baking sheets.

Finely chop the dates, place in a small bowl, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour. Toss the dates to thoroughly coat with the flour, breaking apart any clumps. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flaxseeds and rice milk. Whisk in the mashed banana, canola oil, and brown rice syrup. In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir into the banana mixture until the ingredients are just moistened; the dough will be thick yet sticky. Fold in the chopped dates and walnuts.

Lightly oil a -cup measuring cup and scoop generous half-cupfuls of dough onto a baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches of s.p.a.ce between the scones. Gently pat down the tops of the scones and dab with a little rice milk if desired. Bake for 32 to 34 minutes, until browned and firm. Transfer from the baking sheets to a cooling rack to complete cooling.

PUMPKIN-CRANBERRY SCONES.

MAKES 12 LARGE SCONES.

TIME: 45 MINUTES.

More scones! These large pumpkin and spice-rich treats are almost cakelike, different from your typical scone. Enjoy them hot out of the oven, or try them the next day toasted, b.u.t.tered and served with a pot of strong black tea. This recipe makes plenty, so we think they would make a great addition to a Thanksgiving brunch or any fall festivity.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

teaspoon ground cloves

teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoons salt

cup nonhydrogenated vegan margarine, cold

cup soy creamer or rice milk

4 teaspoons ground flaxseeds

1 cups pumpkin puree

3 tablespoons mola.s.ses

1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped coa.r.s.ely

3 tablespoons sh.e.l.led pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for garnish

If using homemade pumpkin puree and it"s very watery, strain it before using for these scones. Over a small bowl, fit a double layer of cheesecloth and secure with a large rubber band. Pour in the pumpkin puree and allow to strain for a few hours. Discard the excess liquid. If this sounds like too much work, then just use a good quality-maybe organic-canned pumpkin. We won"t judge you. Much.

PREHEAT THE oven to 350F and lightly grease two baking sheets.

In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Chop the margarine into chunks, toss in the flour mixture, and cut into the flour with a pastry cutter or a heavy fork until the mixture looks slightly crumbly.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseeds and soy creamer. Add the pumpkin puree, mola.s.ses, and lemon zest, and stir until completely incorporated.

Make a well in the flour mixture. Fold in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cranberries. Stir until a soft dough forms; take care not to overmix.

Divide the dough into two portions. Place each on a separate baking sheet and flatten into a large circle just over 1 inch thick. With a large sharp knife, cut each round all the way through into six to eight wedges. Brush the tops of the rounds with soy creamer and press 1 tablespoon of pepitas onto each scone.

Bake for 30 to 34 minutes until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned. If less moist scones are desired, go for the longer baking time. Let cool for 10 minutes before reslicing into wedges. Transfer from the baking sheet to wire racks to complete cooling.

BANANA-WHEAT GERM m.u.f.fINS.

MAKES 12 m.u.f.fINS.

TIME: ABOUT 40 MINUTES.

Wheat germ: not just for your grandma"s oatmeal anymore! In the spirit of "m.u.f.fins are not desserts," we present this no-nonsense, whole-grain m.u.f.fin. They have lots of big banana flavor and a little bit of crunch provided by our friend wheat germ. A big scoop of cinnamon gives these guys what for.

If you want high-rise m.u.f.fins, fill the tins all the way to the top and bake for five extra minutes. This method will make ten m.u.f.fins instead of twelve.

To keep wheat germ fresher longer, store it in the fridge once opened.

1 cup plain soy milk