This Summer I’ve been obsessed with these pancakes. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t had good gluten-free pancakes before them. Or because I’m just relishing having a stove that’s not 3 floors down(oh, the life of a student).

As much as I loved having them with a dredge of maple syrup, I figured that couldn’t be good day after day. Instead I wanted to sweeten them the natural way with some fruit. By using chia seeds to thicken the sauce, it comes together literally in minutes but has the texture of a sauce that’s been cooking for much longer.

Look how thick it is(that’s what she said)! It’s hearty, warm, and the perfect pancake companion. The chia seeds not only thicken but also add a healthy dose of omega-3s.

You can use almost any fruit for this—strawberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, mango. The one exception I’ve found is that using all raspberries creates a very tart sauce. If you want to make a raspberry version, switch out half with a sweeter fruit like strawberries or add a tablespoon of sweetener.

Quick Fruit Sauce

Prep Time: 0 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients(makes 1-2 servings):

• 3/4 cup fruit, fresh or frozen
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds

Method:

1. Pour the fruit into a microwavable bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute for fresh fruit or 3 minute for frozen fruit until hot and bubbly.
2. Mash the fruit into a puree and mix in the chia seeds.
3. Let the sauce sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Pour hot onto pancakes, waffles, French toast, or a dessert.

This is so easy to make, I throw it together in between mixing and pouring the pancake batter. If it gets better than that, I don’t know how.

As much as I like salads, I’ve never really liked most salad dressings I’ve tried. They’re usually oily and watery; I want something thick and hearty. Because of that I pretty much stuck to Caesar salad dressing and buffalo wing sauce to flavor my greens growing up. What could be more appetizing than a plate of iceburg lettuce with hot sauce and butter slathered on it? I’m not sure what I was thinking back then, either.

Enter this dressing, which has completely changed how I think of salad dressings. It’s not oily or watery; in fact, there’s no oil whatsoever. It has a thick body but you won’t find any cream in the ingredients. Instead this dressing gets its body from whole strawberries and almonds. What could be more delicious? It’s sweet with a tang and slight nuttiness—much better and better for you than buffalo wing sauce.

Strawberry Almond Salad Dressing(inspired by this recipe)

Ingredients(Makes 2 cups):

• 1 1/2 cups strawberries, stems removed
• 2 Tablespoons almond butter
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• ~1/4 cup water to thin

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except for the water into a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Slowly incorporate the water while still blending until the dressing reaches a thin consistency.
3. Bottle and keep stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Since it’s fresh without any preservatives, use this dressing quickly to make sure it stays fresh. Something tells me that won’t be a problem; you’ll never go back to bottled again.