Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits with Rosemary & Pumpkin Pie Spice

As a Chicago native, I'm going to incur a lot of flack for saying this...but it's been freezing here lately. And by here, yes, I do mean Los Angeles.

My body's natural reaction to cold weather is to, of course, eat everything in sight in an effort to pack some meat onto this frame. I switch from my summer staple of tofu and mixed green salads to roasted root vegetables, pan-fried kale chips, and all those Morning Star goodies designed to make us think we're eating meat. I mean, seriously--what self-respecting vegan actually misses buffalo wings? I'm pretty sure I don't eat buffalo wings even when I'm going through an omnivorous phase, so why do I adore the fake kind? But when the temperatures drop, I swear I could scarf fake "chicken" strips and vegan corn dogs til the grateful, un-slaughtered cows come home.

But you know what I really miss in those winter months when I'm actin' a fool and foregoing butter? Popeyes biscuits. Nothing pads my seasonal hibernation layer of body fat faster and more deliciously than these butter-soaked patties of joy. Have you seen these things? They are almost radio-actively yellow, and I'm not 100% convinced they're even legally a food product. But toss me a honey packet through that drive-up window and I could honestly care less. I've spent some outright blissful moments in the front seat of my car plowing my way through a paper bag of these.

But I digress. The seasonal impetus I'm describing lead me out of the car this time and into the kitchen. Well, first it lead me to Google. "Vegan biscuits." A lot of people were putting margarine in them (gross), but I had no Earth Balance on hand, only olive oil. One recipe called for vegetable oil, but it also had potatoes. Strange. Intriguing. I had some sweet potatoes in my cabinet I had bought to make french fries, but that plan was quickly tossed for the sake of experimentation.

Fast forward a short and simple 30 minutes later, and you get this:

The spices were a last minute decision, I'll definitely cut back on the salt next time, and I think I'll make an apple-honey-butter "gravy" to accompany them next time I buy Earth Balance, but these were pretty close to perfect just spread with some fig jam [pictured] or honey. Did I mention they are way too easy to make? The following recipe is so simple, it makes the Popeyes 2 miles from my house seem like a friggin' chore.

Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits with Rosemary & Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 to 1 tsp of salt, to taste
A liberal dashing of pumpkin pie spice and just a few sprinkles of rosemary [or thyme would also go excellently here]

Mash it all together, form little discs, place on cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Seriously. That's all that stands between you and 5-10 extra pounds of junk in your trunk this holiday season.