I just love it when inspiration strikes. Just when my kids were eying me suspiciously to see if I would serve them toast and smoothies yet again, I had the most summery, delicious idea. Strawberry Shortcake - for breakfast! Instead of sugary pound cake, I made whole wheat biscuits and covered them in molten, ruby-colored berries sprinkled with cinnamon and then topped with coconut cream. Healthy and oh, so delicious. June on a plate!
I know this is a travesty, but I confess, I used frozen strawberries. Even though they are in season and readily available right now, I had only frozen on hand. They are beautiful, organic whole berries from Costco though. I started them in a pan to defrost on medium heat. Then I made the biscuits...
I used this simple recipe:
3c whole wheat pastry flour
1c water (you could use milk but we are dairy free and they taste great with water)
1 Tbsp vinegar (I add this to the water to simulate the tang of buttermilk - works great)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (I love using Real Salt brand)
1/2 c shortening (we love Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening - so healthy!)
I just mixed everything up, formed them with my hands into biscuit shapes, and baked at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
While the biscuits were baking, I added honey (a couple of Tbsp probably) and a little cinnamon to the strawberries and simmered them for about 15 minutes. Then I turned off the heat to let them cool.
To assemble the shortcakes, I spooned the warm berries over two biscuits and topped them with a big spoonful of coconut cream... You could of course use whipped cream instead.
These turned out so well! The kids vacuumed them up and asked for seconds.
Here's one of my happy customers now!
