Strawberry Shortcake with Coconut Whip Topping

Strawberries are the best part of summer. Well, ok, there are many wonderful parts to summer, but seriously, be honest, what is better than freshly picked, really ripe and juicy strawberries? They are dripping in their sweet and tangy red juice and that first bite will almost bring tears to your eyes. Yes, strawberries can really start to control your mind this time of year ( as you can see they have had their affect on me). You will start dreaming of what to do with your lovely strawberries, each one a gift in itself. Well, how about a good ol' fashioned strawberry shortcake recipe for the gluten-free and dairy-free friend.

Shortcake Ingredients:

1 heaping cup full of almond meal or almond flour (ground 1 cup almonds in coffee grinder)

1 1/2 cup of sweet sorghum flour

1 TB of baking powder

1/2 ts. of sea salt

4 TB of sucanat (dried sugar cane)

1/3 cup of Spectrum organic palm oil shortening

1/3 cup of coconut oil

3/4 cup of almond milk in separate bowl, add the juice of one lemon and let sit for a few minutes before adding to the dry ingredients

Mix together well and then add to a greased biscuit mold or 12 muffin cups in tins.

Put in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Pull from oven and check with a pic that there is no gooey middle. Let cool on the stove until ready to serve.

Now to the best part... the berries

In the meantime- you can rinse and dice up all your freshly picked strawberries. 1 quart of strawberries should be enough for this recipe to serve up to 12 people. Dice them so they are perfectly ready for topping the shortbread when finished. So need to douce in sugar either, if your strawberries are ripe and juicy, they will be sweet enough on their own.

Also, you can get started on the coconut whip...

Coconut Whip:

3-4 frozen medium bananas chopped into pieces before freezing

1 can of chilled coconut milk

2 TB of agave syrup, or maple syrup

2 ts. of vanilla extract

Blend all the ingredients in your food processor or blender.

Blend until whipped up (minute at the most) and then pour into a bowl and stick in the freezer until chilled enough (15-20 minutes) that you can spoon out a dollop of cream to put on top of the shortcake. Or you can place all the ingredients in an ice cream maker and follow the directions to make a quick 20 minute ice cream and when finished you can use as the topping. That is what I used, but both work fine. It is going to taste good either way, so be flexible with if you want it more runny or solid.

Put all the parts together and viola! you have a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free dessert that is not lacking in any decadent part of what a delicious desert should be. Hmmmm, beautifully delicious. Enjoy! This one is perfect for a hot summer day with friends.

Some notes:

*If you are just a fresh fruit and ice cream fan, then drop the shortbread and eat the fresh berries with the coconut whip (almost like ice cream). It is absolutely fabulous!

*You could use this coconut cream for many other desert toppings, or with other fresh fruit. I am sure you will not be disappointed.