60-Second Strawberry "Shortcake"

We'll get to this easy peasy snack how-to in a minute, but first, let's talk strawberry shortcake.

If you think of strawberry shortcake as Twinkie-like spongecake topped with super-red strawberries in a goopy glaze, then I'm sorry, my friend, but you have been misled.

Imagine warm, fresh from the oven, slightly-sweet/slightly-salty biscuits: think scones. Perfectly crunchy on the outside, broken open so that the tender, steamy shortcake inside can soak up the sweet sauce that results from macerating berries in sugar for an hour or so. Drizzle over that a little half & half -- just enough to moisten the biscuits a bit more -- then top it with a generous blob or two of vanilla whipped cream! Mmm... the contrast of salty and sweet, crunchy and creamy. Seriously!

I live a pretty low-carb life, but this is the one food that I will never pass up, and will eat till the strawberries are all gone, or my stomach hurts, whichever comes first! Oh, who am I kidding?! If there are still strawberries and shortcake, I'll keep eating!

And for that very reason, I don't make it too often. 

But the other day, I had some lovely strawberries on hand -- just a few -- and was trying to figure out how I could make a satisfying snack out of them. Then, inspiration!

I had a few whole-wheat crackers on hand. Store-brand Wheat Thins, if you must know. That will stand in nicely for the shortcake, I thought. And some vanilla yogurt in the fridge. A dollop of that on a cracker, and a slice of strawberry on top. How easy is that?! And pretty healthy, really.

But easy and healthy are no good if it doesn't taste good. This does! The crunchiness of the cracker simulates the shortbread crust and flavor; the vanilla yogurt is a pretty good stand-in for its more fat-laden cousin.

It's also good with a sweetened cream cheese spread -- though that knocks the health factor down a notch.

Sure, in a head-to-head battle with real strawberry shortcake, it comes up short. (Ha! Sorry!) But for a 60-second snack, it'll do just fine. Just fine! And with a lot less guilt.