Spiced Chai French Toast

This perfectly vegan fluffy french toast is scented with chai spice and deliciously decadent. If you think you need eggs for the best french toast ever, you are mistaken. I'm sorry, I'm just the messenger. Have you had vegan french toast? No? Better get on it! Gosh, I'm sooo bossy today.

Ooooo, I am so excited to share today's recipe with you! This is the most delightful breakfast ever.  When I worked up at Hatcher Pass Lodge (see cool photos here), I was a french toast making extraordinaire. I learned how to make the most splendid and lavish french toast.

And I have to tell you, if you're making french toast with regular ol' sammy bread...you're doing it wrong. Just STOP. No more, I forbid it. Once you make french toast with actual french bread (well, french "style" bread)...oh gosh, just...if you haven't, you need to. This is not The Depression. Make it with french bread, not sandwich bread. Sandwich bread is for sandwiches and french bread is obviously for, well, french toast. 

Also, you have to wear your fancy pants when you eat these.

Oh, also...we slathered ours with birch syrup. If you're in Alaska (like me) and have a small fortune to squander (unlike me), it's time to get yo'self some birch syrup. I think it's, please excuse my contrived snootiness here, richer and way more complex than maple syrup. It's has so much more going on. It's darker and more caramelly (it's a word, I checked). If you get the chance to try it, please do!

Spiced Chai French Toast

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

This perfectly vegan fluffy french toast is scented with chai spice and deliciously decadent. If you think you need eggs for the best french toast ever, you are mistaken.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk (I use oat milk)
• 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 2 tsp. chai spice
• 1/2 tsp. ground flaxseed or ground psyllium husk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 lb of french bread, about 6 1 inch thick slices

Ingredients

1. In a liquid measuring cup whisk together all the ingredients except for the bread then transfer to a shallow rimmed dish, like a pie dish.
2. Coat a large frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Dip each slice of bread in the french toast liquid for about 5-10 seconds on each side. The bread should feel slightly heavier but not soaked completely through. That's the trick!
3. Cook the slices for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until deep golden brown.
4. Serve hot; drench with maple (or birch!) syrup, vegan butter, and topped with powdered sugar and strawberries, or whatever your favorite toppings are!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10
Total time: 15
Yield: 3-4 servings

This french toast means business. 

Listening to Electric Guest – This Head I Hold 

Broccoli Walnut Pesto

This creamy pesto, lightened up by using a smaller amount of oil, gets it's zing from lemon juice and miso. Pine nuts, move over because walnuts are taking center stage here. And for real, fresh basil in Alaska in January can be hard to come by. Plus, I'm not a bajillionaire. Broccoli it is!

“Oh my god, this is soooo so good!” ”Great! I’m glad you like it. It’s mostly broccoli and walnuts, so I was kind of worried that you wouldn’t.””Geeeeezzze, don’t tell me that!”

— Todd

Who says pesto can't be cheap, lower in calories, and seriously delicious...all while still being vegan? I say that it can and it shall be. 

If you have trouble getting your family members (husband included) to eat broccoli, this is your dish. Straight up. When Todd got home from work, I told him we were having pasta for dinner. This is usually pretty exciting because we don't tend to eat it very often.

Then, he walked into the kitchen and saw a giant bowl of broccoli. His face melted from delight to what can best be described as that of a kid who tore open a present on Christmas morning only to find a crocheted tie from Aunt Gladys. Disappointed and a bit bamboozled. 

He self-proclaims that he's "not-big-on-broccoli". That it's not really his thing. Well, four servings later, one for me and three for Todd...I ended up surrendering a big bowl of the pesto pasta to Todd for his lunch. I brought a PB&J to work. Best wife ever? Dang, now I really want some of that pesto!

Broccoli Walnut Pesto

By Katie Henry - Produce On Parade

This creamy pesto, lightened up by using a smaller amount of oil, gets it's zing from lemon juice and miso. Pine nuts, move over because walnuts are taking center stage here. And for real, fresh basil in Alaska in January can be hard to come by. Plus, I'm not a bajillionaire. Broccoli it is!

Ingredients

• 1 large head of broccoli, florets only
• 16 oz. of dry pasta
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 small handful of fresh basil (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. walnut oil (olive oil will work, too)
• 1 Tbsp. miso paste
• 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. In a large pot of water, boil the broccoli florets for 3 minutes until bright green. Remove with a slotted spoon (keeping the water in the pot) and rinse under cold water; set aside.
2. Add the dry pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package. Strain once cooked but reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta. Return the noodles to pot and set aside.
3. While the pasta cooks, in a food processor combine the walnuts through the vinegar and process until it's reached a fine consistency. There will be a lot of scraping down the sides of the bowl, but it's a small price to pay. Add the florets and process until very smooth and creamy.
4. Stir the pesto sauce and some reserved water into the pot of cooked noodles until it’s reached a desired consistency. Salt to taste.
5. Serve hot with some crushed walnuts on top, if you like!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 00:15
Total time: 00:25
Yield: 6 servings

Listening to Portugal. The Man – Modern Jesus

Remarkable Root Soup

I cannot wait for this long weekend. Yesterday, I was given the opportunity (aka nightmare) to give a speech about being a Radiologic Technologist to a large group of high schoolers with a specific interest in the healthcare field. Public speaking and I do not exactly go hand-in-hand. We don't even see eye-to-eye. In fact, I pretty much completely pretend to ignore such a thing even exists. Public speaking is my nemesis. Okay, let's be real...just talking to people in general is my weakness. I'm terribly socially awkward. If you've ever had a conversation with me, there's a lot of holding my breath, trembling words, and shaky hands. Does anyone else have this problem or am I just a complete freak? During this speech I was pretty sure I would stop breathing altogether (it happens...a lot) and shake so violently that I would just pass out of the floor, convulsing while 16 year old punks laughed at me. That didn't happen, but it's kind of a miracle it didn't. Anyways, my point is, after two foreboding weeks of not-so-innocuous tummy troubles and sleepless nights due to the stress of giving said speech, I am definitely looking forward to recovering during this three day weekend. I'm just going to lay in bed and sleep and dream of MLK. 

Okay that's not true, I actually had something else planned. Todd went to a rural village in Alaska about a week or so ago for work and when this happens he's usually granted a day off from work because he has to spend the night there. I had a secret trip planned to go nordic skiing during this long weekend and now I find out he's not taking his day off! I think steam is still escaping from my ears. Needless to say, I am completely filled to the brim with sorrow. So, I will have to live vicariously through you all. Please, please, tell me about all the fun things you're going to do with your long weekend. I'll just be bummin'...alone...all by myself.

On the plus side I made this soup a few days ago, and let me tell you, it's pretty darn remarkable. Who'd think that a few red potatoes, onions and one ugly-ass celery root would make such a deliciously, silky soup? Those peasants knew what was up. 

Have you ever cooked with celery root, aka celeriac? When Todd saw it, he was like, "Ugh! What is that ugly thing?!" He was pretty surprised when I told him I was going to make a soup out of it. I actually think he's a pretty awesome little guy (the celeriac). Makes me sad to think everyone's going about saying how wretched looking he is. Yes, in case you weren't sure...celery root is male. Obviously.

I like all his weird little knobs and crannies....that sounded a bit vulgar, I'm sorry for that. 

Remarkable Root Soup

Serves 4 

• 1/2 cup dry red lentils
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1 medium celery root (celeriac) about 2 lbs, peeled and diced
• 3 medium red potatoes about 1.5 lbs, diced
•  pinch of kosher salt
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. miso paste

Notes: If using brown or green lentils, they may need longer to cook. The celery root needs the peel removed. It's very easy, I just use a knife. 

In a small saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Drain and set aside for later.

In a very large frying pan or soup pot heat the coconut oil over medium. Add the paprika and saute for about 30 seconds. 

Now, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the onions become soft.

Then, add the celery root and potatoes. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and saute for another 10 minutes. 

Now, pour in the broth, deglazing the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and cover. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes and celery root are soft. 

Remove the bay leaves and carefully transfer the chunky soup to a blender. Add the miso paste and blend on high for a few minutes, until the soup is silky smooth.

Transfer back into the large frying pan or soup pot and stir in the lentils. 

Serve hot and sprinkled with a bit of paprika and olive oil. 

Listening to Dillon – Thirteen Thirty-Five

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