In a small bowl, stir together the ground flax seed and 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside to let it thicken

Meanwhile, prepare the strawberry sauce. Add strawberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of water to a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture is bubbling and the strawberries start to burst about 5 minutes. Then, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Remove from heat

Prepare the cream cheese drizzle topping by whisking together the softened vegan cream cheese, 2 teaspoons Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Beverage, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon of sugar-free maple syrup in a small bowl. If the mixture is too thick to drizzle, add an additional teaspoon of almond milk. Set aside

Prepare the batter by whisking together the thickened flax seed, ¼ cup almond milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and lemon zest in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Stir in the thickener, if using, and ¼ cup of the prepared strawberry sauce into the batter

Melt 1 tablespoon of vegan butter in a large skillet set over medium heat

Dip three of the bagel halves in the batter. Let them soak in the batter for about 10 seconds, then flip and soak the other side of the bagels for the same amount of time

Use tongs or a spatula to lift each bagel half from the batter and place the cut side down in the hot skillet. Cook until the cut side of the bagels is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then flip each bagel half and cook for about 2 minutes more. If bagels are getting too dark, reduce the heat to medium-low

Transfer the first batch to a plate. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels and then return to the heat and melt the remaining tablespoon of vegan butter. Repeat the process with the remaining bagels

Serve warm with remaining strawberry sauce and cream cheese drizzle topping!