Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Crostini

Yikes, how has it been over a month since my last post? Sorry I haven't been around here in awhile, but life has been pretty busy lately with trying to finish my degree and helping to plan my sister's wedding, and as much as I wanted to keep up with my blog, I just haven't had the time.

While I expect to still be busy over the next couple weeks, I wanted to at least squeeze in a quick recipe to say that I'm still here, for anyone who might still be reading!

I actually made this recipe at the end of July for a strawberry-themed potluck, and I wasn't planning on sharing it on my blog but it turned out so tasty that I changed my mind!

When I was trying to think of a strawberry recipe that I could make for the potluck, I remembered this roasted strawberry, basil and goat cheese crostini from Confections of a Foodie Bride that I had made once and loved. I took that idea but changed things up a bit this time, adding some lemon flavoured greek yogurt to the goat cheese to make a super creamy and lemony spread. Instead of making a basil syrup or using fresh basil as a garnish, I added some basil to the goat cheese mixture instead.

The strawberries are roasted in the oven with maple syrup and balsamic so they get nice and sweet and juicy. Since I was making this ahead of time, I combined both components (the goat cheese-yogurt spread and the strawberries) into one dip that I spooned onto slices of bread (pictured above). For a prettier presentation, you could keep the components separate and assemble individual crostini pieces to serve instead (which I did with one piece for photo purposes before taking the rest to the potluck!).

This almost tastes more like a dessert than an appetizer with the sweet strawberries, their juices and the yogurt, but I'm a fan of using fruit in my meals, so I loved this! If you did want to serve this as a dessert though, I think it would work well spread onto graham crackers or cinnamon sugar pita chips too!

Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Crostini
Inspired by Confections of a Foodie Bride

2 cups chopped strawberries

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp balsamic

1 113g package plain goat cheese

2 100g containers lemon greek yogurt

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Baguette or crackers for serving

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Place strawberries in a baking dish and toss with the maple syrup and balsamic. Roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the strawberries are soft. Remove from oven and let cool. 

Meanwhile, mix together the goat cheese, yogurt, and basil in a small bowl until smooth. 

Option 1: Transfer the goat cheese mixture to a shallow bowl or container and smooth out into an even layer. Top with the roasted strawberries (you can add some of the leftover juices if you like, but I left most of the liquid behind). Cover and refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve, slice a baguette (you can toast it first in the oven if you prefer, but I just left mine untoasted and it was good that way too) and serve as a dip to spread onto slices.

Option 2: Slice your baguette and toast in the oven if desired. Spread some of the goat cheese mixture onto each slice and top with a spoonful of the strawberries.

Option 2 is a prettier presentation but both ways taste equally delicious!

Maple Strawberry Shortcakes with Coconut-Maple Whipped Cream

As my Canadian readers know, this weekend is a holiday weekend with Canada Day falling on the Monday.  For many of us, that means a fun weekend full of BBQs, camping, fireworks, the beach, and spending time with friends and family.  I'm not sure how many of those things I'll get to squeeze in, but I'm looking forward to a relaxing long weekend!

And to celebrate the holiday on my blog, I wanted to share some kind of treat that would work either as a Canada Day recipe or just as a regular treat (since I know most of my readers are not Canadian).

Strawberry shortcake isn't necessarily known as being a "Canadian" dessert, but it's something I grew up with and have always loved. To me, it's a symbol of both Canadian summers and the local strawberry picking season - both of which have always seemed far too short!

Every time we came home with a basket of freshly picked strawberries, my sisters and I would request strawberry shortcake for dessert - a pillow of buttery, flaky biscuit topped with sliced strawberries and lots of whipped cream. I remember savouring every bite as we sat outside enjoying the warm weather, and trying to coordinate each of my bites so that I wouldn't run out of strawberries too quickly!

Now that I'm a bit older, I still love the traditional strawberry shortcake that I grew up with, but I wanted to create a new version using all vegan ingredients, since I prefer baking without dairy.

I also wanted to play up the Canadian theme, so I incorporated maple syrup - one of the well-known culinary symbols of Canada - into every component: the shortcakes, the strawberries, and the whipped cream!

The shortcakes, based off a recipe from The Healthy Everythingtarian, are made with coconut oil and soy milk instead of butter and cream, and I added a bit of maple extract for extra flavour.

Next was the strawberries - rather than just slicing them up, I wanted to make them a bit more special by roasting them in the oven with maple syrup and vanilla to get an even more concentrated flavour and make them nice and soft and juicy.

Finally, I made a fresh batch of coconut milk whipped cream (see posts from other blogs here and here if you're not familiar with this idea).  Instead of flavouring it with powdered sugar and vanilla like I usually would, I used maple syrup as the sweetener, along with a splash of maple extract.

Eating the maple shortcakes together with the roasted strawberries and maple whipped cream brought back memories of all the summers past when I would enjoy my strawberry shortcake desserts, but with new tweaks and flavours that made this version memorable in its own way.

I couldn't wait to dig in as soon as I finished taking photos of it, and I loved everything so much that I immediately went back for a second serving, telling myself it's acceptable to eat two helpings for breakfast!

I was impressed with the texture of the shortcakes - they were soft yet crumbly, and I loved the sweetness of the maple to make them more of a treat than plain biscuits. The maple flavour was subtle throughout but still noticeable, and I loved the way the roasted strawberries just melted into the shortcake and the whipped cream.

I think this would make a great addition to a Canada Day meal for those of you who are celebrating the holiday this weekend, or just a great finish to a summertime meal any day!

Maple Strawberry Shortcakes with Coconut-Maple Whipped Cream

Shortcakes adapted from The Healthy Everythingtarian; everything else my own

Roasted Strawberries

2 cups halved strawberries (slice berries in half, then measure)

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Shortcakes

1/3 cup non-dairy milk (I used vanilla soy milk)

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp organic cane sugar

3 tbsp solid coconut oil

1/2 tsp maple extract

Whipped Cream

1 can coconut milk, chilled in the fridge for at least 1 day

2-3 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Toss the halved strawberries with the maple syrup and vanilla. Transfer mixture to a small baking dish and roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until the berries are softened (but still hold their shape). Remove from oven and set aside. Keep the oven turned on.

While strawberries are roasting, prepare the shortcakes. First, mix the milk and lemon juice together and set aside for at least 5 minutes. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the coconut oil and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut it into the dry mixture, until it becomes dense, moist crumbs. Add the milk mixture and maple extract and stir just until the wet ingredients are incorporated. 

Use a 1/4 cup measure to divide batter into four equal biscuits.  Drop biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, patting the dough into round shapes. (Tip: If your kitchen is warm, you might want to stick the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes before baking to help the biscuits keep their shape and prevent them from spreading too much in the oven). Place baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until biscuits are lightly browned and a bit firm on top. Let cool on a wire rack.

While shortcakes are baking, prepare the whipped cream: Open the chilled can of coconut milk and scoop out the thickened cream portion on top into a bowl (leave the water in the can behind - you can drink it or discard it). Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the cream until it becomes thick. Add the maple syrup one teaspoon at a time, beating it in after each addition, until you reach your desired sweetness level. Add the maple extract and beat again, until you have semi-stiff peaks (mine didn’t get quite as firm as regular whipped cream, but it will thicken up more in the fridge).

To serve, place a warm biscuit on a plate (you can slice it in half horizontally if you want). Top with one-quarter of the roasted strawberries and a generous helping of whipped cream. Repeat with remaining biscuits.

Makes 4 servings, plus extra whipped cream*.

*Note: the leftover whipped cream goes really well as a dip for fresh strawberries on their own too!

Raw Rainbow "Ice Cream" Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream for St. Patrick's Day

With St. Patrick's Day coming up in less than two weeks, I wanted to experiment with a recipe to celebrate the occasion. It seems like pretty much every traditional Irish recipe from soda bread to colcannon has already been posted several times, and I've seen tons of different green tinted foods and beer infused foods on the web too. 

So instead of going with something green, alcoholic, or Irish, I looked for inspiration from another St. Patrick's Day icon: the pot o'gold at the end of a rainbow!

My mind immediately started spinning with ideas for how to create a rainbow themed recipe, and in the end, I came up with this layered cake made with a raw crust, four layers of "ice cream" made solely from fruit, and a coconut whipped cream topping to resemble a cloud. And of course, the final touch that I added just for photo purposes was a pile of gold coins (chocolate, not real gold unfortunately)!

I was so happy with how this cake turned out - it was just how I had pictured it in my mind. And since I loved how it looked so much, this post is going to be more picture-heavy than usual!

While the recipe may look long and it was a bit time consuming to make, there wasn't that much actual hands-on time and as long as you've got some ripe fruit and a food processor, you can easily make this yourself!

The crust is a simple mixture of raw nuts, dates and coconut that gets crushed up and pressed down into the bottom of your cake pan.

Once the crust is ready, the next step is making the layers for the cake one at a time.  The base of each layer is a frozen banana, which as many of you probably already know, turns into a creamy ice cream-like consistency when you blend it in a food processor (although it firms up quite a bit after being in the freezer).

By adding different coloured fruits along with the banana, I was able to make four distinct layers to represent (some of) the colours of the rainbow: purple from blueberries and blackberries; pink from strawberries; yellow from mango; and green from avocado.

I actually made enough for two small cakes, in different shapes.  Pictured above is a round cake made with a miniature springform cake pan (which makes removal much easier!), and below is a rectangular cake made by forming the layers in one side of a square cake pan.

I liked the look of both shapes, so feel free to use whichever size pan is more convenient. As long the pan has edges to hold in the layers, you can build your cake in pretty much any shape you like!

While you could eat the ice cream cake on its own, I highly recommend making the coconut whipped cream topping. If you've never made whipped cream from coconut milk before, you can find step-by-step guides at the Kitchn and Oh She Glows to use as references.

I sweetened the whipped cream with a bit of icing sugar and added a dash of coconut extract to bring out the coconut flavour even more.  I loved how light and fluffy the whipped cream was and it tasted so good with the fruity ice cream layers.

If you love rainbow sherbert, then you'll love this cake because that's pretty much what it tastes like when you take a bite of all the layers together.  And if you're worried about the avocado, don't be - it actually blends well with the other flavours and you don't really notice a pronounced avocado taste when you eat everything together.

And can you believe that there's no added sugar or sweetener of any kind in the whole cake (not including the whipped cream)? As long as you have ripe fruits, they should provide all the natural sweetness you need!

I doubt my cakes will last until St. Patrick's Day, but you don't need a holiday to make this - I think it would brighten up any day :)

Raw Rainbow "Ice Cream" Cake with Coconut Whipped Cream

Note: This recipe does require some preparation at least a day in advance. Before you start making it, make sure you have at least 3 ripe bananas in your freezer and a can of coconut milk chilling in the fridge.

Crust

1/4 cup natural almonds

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tbsp ground flax

Dash of salt

1/2 cup (heaping) chopped dates

Purple Layer

1 small-medium frozen ripe banana, chopped

1/4 cup blueberries and blackberries

Pink Layer

1 small-medium frozen ripe banana, chopped

1/4 cup chopped strawberries

Yellow Layer

1/2 a large frozen ripe banana, chopped

1/2 heaping cup chopped ripe mango

Green Layer

1/2 a large frozen ripe banana, chopped

1/2 a ripe avocado (about ½ cup)

1/2 tsp lime zest

Topping

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled in the fridge overnight unopened

1 tbsp icing sugar

1/2 tsp coconut extract (can substitute vanilla extract if desired)

To make the crust, place the almonds and cashews in the small bowl of a food processor and process until the nuts are ground. Add the coconut, flax, and salt and process again until ingredients are combined. Add the dates and process until the dates are broken down. The mixture should stick together if you squeeze it together with your fingers.

Transfer the crust to the bottom of your desired pans.  I filled one round mini cake pan (4-inch wide, 2-inch deep pan with a removable bottom) and used the remaining crust to make a rectangular shaped cake by filling an 8x8 square pan (lined with a piece of parchment paper) about one-third to one-half full. Press the crust mixture down firmly, making sure it is evenly spread.  Store the crust in the fridge or freezer while you make the remaining layers.

Make the ice cream layers one a time, in whichever order you like. For each layer, place the ingredients in the small bowl of your food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Once you’ve made one layer, spread it evenly over the crust in your pan(s). Let it sit in the freezer until it starts to firm up, at least 15-30 minutes.

Continue with the next ice cream layer, following the same process as before. Let each layer firm up in the freezer before adding the next one. 

Here's how the cakes looked before frosting:

To make the whipped cream, open your can of coconut milk (do not shake it first). Scoop out the thick white cream that should have formed on top into a bowl (leave the watery part in the can). Use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the cream until it starts to firm up. Add the icing sugar and coconut extract and continue beating until the cream is nice and thick and fluffy like whipped cream, about 3-5 minutes.

Keep ice cream cake(s) stored in the freezer. For the best defrosting results, transfer cake to the fridge for about 1 hour prior to serving, then let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, until the ice cream starts to soften slightly. Top cake(s) with whipped cream (Note: If you are storing the cake in the freezer, I would recommend keeping the whipped cream separate in the fridge, and adding it to individual servings when you're ready to eat, otherwise it will become a frozen block of whipped cream, as I learned!). 

Makes 2 small cakes or 1 larger cake.

Baked Banana, Chocolate & Strawberry Wontons

Valentine's Day is one week away, and even though I don't particularly care for the holiday itself one way or another, I still wanted to make some kind of dessert recipe for my blog in honour of the spirit of love that Valentine's Day celebrates!

The inspiration for this recipe came from Oh My Veggies, who posted these baked banana wontons a while ago. I loved the idea of filling wonton wrappers with fruit and baking them in the oven for a healthier option than frying. I also thought they made a fancy looking dessert that would be fun to serve for Valentine's Day, so I decided to make my own version.

I liked the idea of using banana in the filling, but I also wanted to incorporate more traditional Valentine's themed ingredients so I added chocolate and red strawberries to both the filling and the topping for the wontons.

Stuffed inside each wonton is a mixture of mashed banana with strawberry jam, along with a piece of milk chocolate.  Once you've assembled all of your wontons, they go into the oven to bake and when they come out, the filling is warm and gooey so that you taste chocolate melted together with banana and jam with each bite.  For a non-chocolate lover like myself, these have a nice balance of light fruit and rich chocolate, without any of the ingredients being too dominant.

Since the wontons would have looked a little plain on their own, I made an easy strawberry sauce by simmering fresh strawberries on the stovetop with a bit of agave, vinegar and vanilla extract for more flavour. Finally, a drizzle of melted chocolate and a light dusting of powdered sugar turns this into a fancier looking dessert that you can serve to your loved ones or treat yourself with on Valentine's Day.

I ended up eating most of these myself immediately after I made them (telling myself that wontons can count as dinner), so you don't need a holiday to enjoy them either!

Feel free to play around a bit with the ingredients too - I liked the combination of strawberries with banana, but I think raspberries would also make a delicious sauce, and a sprinkle of toasted almonds or pistachios would add a nice crunch. You can also try baking them at a higher temperature if you want the wontons to be more crispy, but I personally preferred the way these came out with a soft middle and chewy edges.

Baked Banana, Chocolate & Strawberry Wontons
Inspired by Oh My Veggies and Weight Watchers
Note: My version of this dessert was not vegan, but if you can find eggless wonton wrappers and vegan chocolate, you can make a vegan version!

Strawberry Sauce
1 cup chopped strawberries, tops removed

2 tbsp agave nectar

1/2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Wontons

12-15 square wonton wrappers
1 medium banana, mashed

2-3 tbsp strawberry jam 

Half of a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar (or another chocolate bar)

1 ¼ tsp melted coconut oil, divided

~1 oz dark chocolate

Icing sugar for serving

More chopped strawberries for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

First, make the sauce: Place strawberries, agave, and balsamic in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the mixture starts bubbling, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Mash the strawberries up a bit to get a smoother sauce. Keep warm on low heat while you make the wontons.

For the wontons, lay out one wrapper and place one heaping teaspoon of banana in the middle. Top with ½ tsp of strawberry jam and half of a rectangle of Hershey’s chocolate (or an equivalent amount of another chocolate if you use a different kind). 

Wet the edges of the wrapper with water, then gently fold over one half so that it forms a triangle. Seal the edges together with your fingers tightly, being careful not to let the filling squeeze out.

Keep a small bowl with 1 tsp melted coconut oil aside. Brush both sides of the wonton with melted coconut oil and lay on the prepared baking sheet. 

Repeat with remaining ingredients until the banana mixture is used up – I got 12 wontons.

Place baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the outside is starting to brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave. Heat on high for 30 seconds, then add ¼ tsp coconut oil and microwave again in 15 second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

To serve, lay wontons on a plate and top with a few spoonfuls of the strawberry sauce. Drizzle some of the chocolate sauce over top and use a sieve to add a dusting of icing sugar.  Add some chopped fresh strawberries as a garnish if desired.  Serve warm.

Makes about 12 wontons, or 3-4 servings.

Note: These are best eaten fresh as the edges will get chewier the longer they sit out, but if you have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge and reheat briefly (only 10-20 seconds) in the microwave. 

Strawberry Banana Snack Cake

I mentioned last week that I still had another strawberry recipe coming up, and I couldn't wait any longer to share it with you!

I love making healthy snack cakes because they're usually so easy to put together - just mix the batter and pour it all into one pan.  I also like that you can eat them whenever and however you like - I enjoyed these as part of my breakfast, as morning and afternoon snacks, and for dessert!

I was inspired to make this snack cake by a recipe I had bookmarked from Sweet & Natural for banana coconut bars.  Since I also had some local strawberries that I wanted to incorporate into some kind of baked treat, I decided to modify the recipe by adding chopped strawberries to the cake.

I made a few other changes to the recipe as well, like substituting spelt flour for half of the whole wheat flour,  adding vanilla extract, replacing the molasses with cane sugar, and eliminating the agave syrup because I thought the cake would be sweet enough already.  I also added some chopped pecans for extra texture and crunch.

I have to say, this may be one of my favourite snack cakes I've made yet! The texture turned out the way a lot of low-fat baked goods tend to be, which I happen to love - dense and slightly chewy, and super moist.

I thought the strawberry, banana and coconut flavors all came through in just the right balance, and it had just the right amount of sweetness too (I actually would have preferred it a bit less sweet, but I think my sweet tooth is lacking a bit - my sister assured me it was perfect the way it was!)

I shared some of this cake with my family, and they all loved it too. It's a nice treat to have around for snacking, especially because it's pretty healthy and light, so you can eat a couple pieces without feeling stuffed. It also keeps well for a few days in a container, although it might not last that long!

This would be a great way to use up any strawberries you might still have, but don't worry if you can't get local ones anymore - I think the store-bought ones would work well in this recipe too.  Or you could try the recipe with another summer fruit - I think blueberries would taste amazing with the banana and coconut!

Low-Fat Strawberry Banana Snack Cake
Adapted from Sweet and Natural 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup light spelt flour

1/2 cup shredded coconut (I used sweetened but next time I would try unsweetened)

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tsbp cane sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped strawberries

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flours through to salt). In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (mashed banana through to vanilla extract).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Gently fold in the strawberries and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes, until the sides start to pull away from the pan, the top feels firm, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling before cutting into squares.

Makes about 16 squares. 

Roasted Strawberry, Chickpea & Asparagus Couscous

I'm not sure about those of you who live in the U.S., but here in Ontario, fresh local strawberry season is still in full swing and I'm loving being able to use them in drinks, baked goods, yogurt parfaits, and even salads. 

A new discovery for me this year is roasted strawberries.  If you haven't tried roasting strawberries before, I highly recommend it!  The strawberries start to break down in the oven and get nice and soft and gooey inside, with an intense flavour.  They make a great topping for crostini, but you can also add them to salads and grains like you would with fresh strawberries.

This couscous dish is a great way to incorporate roasted strawberries.  The original recipe that inspired this dish had a combination of fresh strawberries with couscous, chickpeas, goat cheese and basil, as seen on Prevention RD.  I was planning on making this dish until I saw a recipe for israeli couscous with roasted strawberries on Running to the Kitchen. 

So I changed my plan and made my couscous with roasted strawberries instead. I also left out the goat cheese and added asparagus and fresh mint to the salad as well. I thought this was a light and nicely balanced meal with the veggies, fruit, chickpeas and fresh herbs and it made a great lunch to bring with me to school. 

I also loved the balsamic dressing, although the flavour didn't come through that strongly once everything was mixed together.  If you want more of a balsamic taste, you can add another tablespoon to the dressing, or just drizzle some over each serving when you eat it, like I did.  

Hopefully strawberry season hasn't ended yet in your area so that you can try this recipe! And I still have another strawberry recipe coming up next week, so stay tuned!

Roasted Strawberry, Chickpea & Asparagus Couscous
Adapted from Prevention RD 


2 cups strawberries

1 tsp maple syrup

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided

1/2 lb asparagus

1 cup dry couscous

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Herbamare and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Toss strawberries with the maple syrup and 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar. Place in a small baking pan and roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until soft.  Snap the woody ends of the asparagus and discard. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add to the oven for the last 5-7 minutes of the roasting time, until crisp-tender.  Remove from oven and chop into pieces.

Meanwhile, prepare the couscous according to package directions.  Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant.

Transfer couscous to a large bowl and add the toasted almonds and chickpeas.  Toss to combine.

Whisk the remaining balsamic vinegar and olive oil together. Pour over the couscous mixture and stir until incorporated.  Stir in the asparagus, roasted strawberries (with their juices), basil and mint. Season with herbamare and ground pepper to taste (I also liked to drizzle more balsamic vinegar over top of each serving).

Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings.


This was submitted to Ricki's Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert & Dogs.

Strawberry-Banana-Coconut Pancakes for One

When it comes to breakfast, I don't often take the time to make anything too fancy or special. But on the occasional lazy Sunday morning, I do enjoy a stack of homemade pancakes!

The problem with making pancakes just for myself is that it's hard to make the right amount for a single serving, especially since most recipes are designed with large families in mind. So when it came to finding a recipe for single serving pancakes, I turned to Chocolate Covered Katie, who has lots of pancake and cupcake recipes that make just the right amount for one person! And the best part about these recipes is that they are all vegan, which means you don't have to attempt to measure out a fraction of an egg in order to adapt the recipe for one serving!

Katie's recipe for blueberry pie pancakes have gotten a lot of attention around the web, so I knew that they would be good. But instead of using blueberries, I wanted to include some of my other favourite ingredients - strawberries, bananas and coconut!

For assembling the pancakes, I was inspired by a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake Stacked Pancakes that I saw on one of my other favourite blogs, Oh She Glows. I loved the idea of layering the pancakes with slices of fruit and topping it with a thick, creamy "soft serve" type sauce.

So I decided to combine the two recipes. For the pancakes themselves, I used Katie's recipe:

Vegan Single Serve Pancakes 

I followed the recipe at the link above, but with the following modifications:
I used light spelt for the flour, and coconut milk beverage (from the carton, not the can) for the liquid. I also left out the blueberries, and added 2 tbsp of unsweetened shredded coconut to the batter to bring out the coconut flavour even more.

I have to say, I think these are my favourite pancakes that I've ever had, even just plain! Not only did I love the taste of them, but they were so fluffy!

See how fat these guys were...

But then topping them with the frozen strawberry-banana sauce took them from great to amazing! Even though making that sauce broke my blender (it was getting old anyway, and apparently couldn't handle frozen strawberries), it was worth it! I was a bit worried that topping pancakes with a cold sauce instead of maple syrup might be strange, but I actually really liked them that way!

I also liked the fact that I didn't feel stuffed after eating these pancakes - they were actually pretty light and not too filling, which I prefer when eating breakfast.

Here is the recipe I used for the sauce:

Strawberry Banana Soft Serve
Adapted from Oh She Glows

half a frozen banana, chopped
one and a half frozen strawberries, thawed slightly and chopped
1-2 tbsp yogurt (I used strawberry-banana flavoured yogurt)

Place all ingredients in a powerful blender and process until smooth.

To assemble the pancakes:

Once the pancakes have cooked, place them on a plate and top with sliced fruit and the strawberry banana soft serve. You can make these more fun by stacking the pancakes with layers of sliced bananas and/or strawberries and the soft serve in between each pancake.

Since I only made two pancakes, the stacked effect wasn't as stunning as Angela's pancakes...and when I looked at my photos afterwards, I realized I had inadvertently created a little pancake monster (see his eyes and tongue sticking out):

This is definitely my new go-to recipe for single serving pancakes...and even though I loved the strawberry-banana-coconut combination, I'm looking forward to trying other ways of stacking them - I already have Angela's spiced pumpkin butter pancakes in mind for the fall!