Tangy Strawberries and Cream – Easy Healthy Nostalgic Treat

As children, we tend to turn to our mom or dad when we get a boo-boo as my grandkids said when the were toddlers. When we get older and we’re out on our own or our parents are no longer with us, we can draw comfort from the memories of the times when mom and dad came to our aid. A hug, a kiss, a kind word, a tasty treat. Nostalgia comes at us in many forms, and a nostalgic treat was the comfort I sought following a recent injury when I suddenly recalled a strawberries and cream dessert from my childhood.

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I took a hard fall on a tennis court last weekend, on the day before my birthday. This happened in Bucks County, where I was delirious with happiness to be with my daughter and her family (her husband Rob, my two sweet grandsons, and my grand-dog Chloe). It was our first time together – in person together- instead of ZOOM, in 4 months.  I have not played tennis in more years than I care to admit, but the racket felt good in my hand. What could go wrong?

Well, a lot. I made the shot, but my sneaker caught on the surface, and I kept going. I hit the floor hard, and when I came to, I thought I’d broken my cheek. I asked Tracy to get the arnica tabs in my bag, and she did, but I was hurt. My knee was bleeding, my cheek hurt, and then I noticed my very swollen hand. There are a few morals to this story, but one that I will share with you is this:  Do not leave home without your photo ID. No Urgent Care in the area would see me, even though I had photos of my ID. My Philly doctor said an x-ray could wait a day or two, so ice and kisses would have to do until I returned.

In Philly, I got confirmation that a bone in my hand was broken and my hand was immobilized in a hard splint, where it’ll remain for four weeks. Luckily, I had ordered several delicious and healthy dishes from Lynn Buono’s @FeastWell Foods at  @FeastYourEyesCatering so good eating was assured. Last night though, I wanted dessert. Not a cake, not a cookie and nothing too rich since I have decided to go leaner and cleaner this week.

Tangy Strawberries and Cream

I had a taste for a dish I haven’t had since I was a kid. My mom used to buy boxes of frozen strawberries in heavy syrup. Does anyone here remember those? The berries and syrup were defrosted and mixed into sour cream. I’ve had strawberries  on my mind lately. In fact, my June Newsletter was all about strawberries. But for whatever reason, this strawberries and cream dessert became a very strong craving. I couldn’t stop thinking about the nostalgic treat. You know I would not eat any fruit in heavy syrup or dairy sour cream now, so some updating was in order.

Here’s what I did. It was better for me, and I am sure better tasting to my no-longer-liking-sugary-dishes palate.

Of course, I used what I had on hand, but you can scale this up as you like.

This dessert (or breakfast or snack) has:

• No added sugar
• No oil
• Is Gluten-free
• Fiber-rich berries
• Probiotics in the Yogurt
• It’s WFPBN compliant (Whole Foods Plant-Based No-Oil)
• Of course, it is dairy-free

My strawberries and cream recipe is very straightforward and simple to make, almost a non-recipe, but there are a few steps to take before you assemble the final dish to your liking.

I replaced Mom’s choice of Breakstone Sour Cream with homemade vegan yogurt. I used Jill Nissinow’s method for making soy yogurt in the Instant Pot. You can find her recipe here, and it’s also found in her cookbook Vegan Under Pressure. It takes just 2 ingredients and a 12 hours, overnight, unattended,

To make the strawberries sweet and syrupy, I combined fresh sliced berries with just a bit of all-fruit jam. Set the mixture aside to macerate, and in about 10-15 minutes, you will be rewarded with sweet, juicy strawberries and syrup.

Assemble your treat in your favorite dish or jar. Add as much of the berries and syrup to a serving of plain protein-packed yogurt as you like. Sprinkle on some chopped nuts and a chiffonade of fresh herbs, and you’ll have a dish that’s a light and satisfying snack or breakfast. For me, the decidedly tangy unsweetened soy yogurt was perfect but use any yogurt, homemade, or store-bought.

Print

Strawberries and Cream

This vegan version of a nostalgic childhood treat of syrupy strawberries and sour cream is lighter, healthier and tastier.

Course Dessert

Keyword basil, dessert, fruit dessert, pistachios, soy yogurt, strawberries, strawberry, summer dessert, yogurt

Author Fran Costigan

Ingredients

• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 tablespoon all-fruit jam berry or apricot but orange marmalade adds a welcome bitter-sweet kick
• ¼ cup unsweetened, unflavored vegan yogurt see notes
• A sprinkling of chopped nuts I used pistachios
• Chiffonade of fresh basil or use mint

Instructions

1. Mix the berries and jam and set aside for 15 or so minutes or until the berries release some juices. In culinary speak, allow the berries to macerate.

2. Add yogurt to a serving dish

3. Add the macerated berries and some of the juice.

4. Sprinkle with nuts and chiffonade of fresh basil.

Recipe Notes

I used to make a very rich cashew cream yogurt, but now prefer  Jill Nussinow's soy yogurt made in my Instant Pot, overnight, setting the timer for 12 hours.  Do you have a favorite yogurt?

For a slightly more decadent but still healthy option top with a few pieces of baked meringue, some small chunks of leftover cake, a sliced mini muffin, or cookie crumbs. You could make this dessert by replacing the yogurt with sweet Vanilla Custard Cream. So many variations!!

Other Strawberry recipes you may enjoy:

• June 2020 Newsletter – Strawberries
• Vegan Strawberry Cream Sando
• Vegan Strawberry Brown Betty
• Rhubarb and Strawberry Dessert Recipe

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