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 

Blueberry Pie Quinoa Porridge

Real quick, I have a little eco tip! I hate getting phone books. Who uses phone books anymore, seriously!? No really, I want to know. It's absurdity. Anyways, you can opt out of receiving them and it just takes a minute, truly. So if you have phone book recycling guilt, just opt out here. And now, a confession. Red quinoa isn't my friend anymore. It was a short relationship. Every time I try to make it, it boils over, a problem I never had with good ol' regular white quinoa. Also, I do not like it's texture. It's like munching on soggy packing peanuts. This is, of course, just my opinion. 

Last night, after the umami bomb, I felt like something sweet for dinner. Sweet, but still healthy, so I made some quinoa porridge. It's like steel cut oats, but quinoa instead. It's healthier, heartier and a complete protein! Also, it's just so rustic and lovely. 

This quinoa porridge is a healthier take on blueberry pie and oatmeal! It's a little bit chewy, lovingly spiced, and speckled with plump, tart blueberries. The sweetness is cut through with a little lemon zest and topped with crunchy walnuts, pecans and chia seeds for some extra protein.  

Blueberry Pie Quinoa Porridge 

Serves 1-2

• Porridge:
• 1/2 cup dry red quinoa
• 1 1/2 cup non-dairy + additional (soy milk)
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• grating of fresh nutmeg
• 1 tsp. chai latte powder (optional)
• heaping 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
• Toppings:
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)
• sprinkling of chia seeds
• lemon zest, to taste
• fresh lemon squeeze, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine all the porridge ingredients except for the blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and ensuring that it doesn't foam over. The quinoa should be the consistency of  wet oatmeal when done.

Remove from heat and stir in the blueberries, allowing them to warm up for a few minutes, especially if they're frozen. 

Adorn with toppings, to your taste preference. I'm not a big lemon zest person, so I only use a little bit. 

Add a little additional milk if you like, and serve warm!

A delightful breakfast, or if you're like me...dinner!

Singing along to Young the Giant – Cough Syrup

[yumprint-recipe id='62']

Rum Spiced Soft Pumpkin Muffins

Okay, I have two pretty neat and equally exciting things to share today. Number one, we have over 500 likes on Facebook! Must be all those Alaskan pics. Cool beans, huh? Sometimes it's fun to get excited about such little things. Number two, Swiftype is finally working again! Hurray! Swiftype populates the search bar, which I love. So if you type in "muffins" it will population a list of all my muffin recipes. Or if you type in "spinach" it will populate a list of all my recipes including spinach! I was driven utterly bonkers while it wasn't working. So, anyways, both are...preh-tee, preh-tee, preh-TEE exciting.  Happy New Years! I must confess; New Years is my absolute least favorite holiday. Truly, it's the worst. What do I hate more than rambunctious parties? Fireworks. I'm like a dog in that regard, I suppose. Bailey hates them as well. We have to make him a bomb shelter in tub. Plus, staying up until midnight!? Not for this ol' gal. Yes, I'm the The Grinch Whole Stole...New Years. This is not to dispute the fact that I did, however, have a lovely New Years eve.

Todd and I went to a low-key, sit-around-table and talk with the lights low while soft music plays in the background type of party. There may have been vegan spring rolls and oreos and vegan caramel corn involved. I would like to take a moment to thank that special person in my life who made all that possible! Thank you! And I didn't even have to drink or stay up until midnight, either. Man, what a party pooper! We were the youngest there and the first to leave. In bed by 11:30pm, it was all pretty pathetic of us to be honest. Two childless, mid-twenty somethings should definitely be able to do better than that. I'll put it on the list of New Years resolutions. Just kidding...I don't do those...

Any who, to this geriatric little shindig, I brought some fabulous pumpkin muffins! I whipped them right up after work, all in a snap and let me tell you , they are absolutely one of the best muffins I've ever had, truly. 

These guys are so incredibly soft and borderline gooey. They almost melt in your mouth! You may think they need a little more time in the oven, but they're supposed to be very moist. With just a whisper of rum, and deliciously spiced these fluffy, sweet muffins are kindred to a perfect pumpkin pie and will be a total hit at any party.

Rum Spiced Soft Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12

• Dry:
• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat white flour
• 1 cup vegan sugar (I like Zulka)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• Wet:
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup cartoned coconut milk
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 Tbsp. spiced dark rum (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. 

In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Do you adore my sweet little measuring spoons? I love them!

Preheat the oven to 400 F and coat a regular muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. I got The Flavor Bible for Christmas and pretty much died on the spot. 

Divide batter evenly in the muffin pan and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. The edges should begin brown slightly and the top of the muffin should bounce back when gently poked with a finger.

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan, before popping them out. My god! Look how gooey and soft!

I couldn't of pulled it off without my kitchen helpers. Okay, that's not true, they are mostly a hindrance. Like furry, oddly-shaped movable rugs that are constantly tripping me and trying to snatch things off the table when my head's turned. Not pictured: Todd.

Swaying to Ane Brun – Halo

See the Go Dairy Free contest page.

See the So Delicious facebook page

[yumprint-recipe id='58']Inspired by IsaChandra