There isn’t much that can top a great breakfast.  Most breakfast foods have some form of meat or dairy, and being a vegetarian means that I have to work around that with substitutions.  A lot of people have the common misconception that vegan/vegetarian substitutions mean you’re going to get a cardboard tasting meal – that’s not true!  A vegan meal can be just as delicious (and better for you) as it’s carnivorous counterpart.

Contrary to popular belief soy milk is actually quite tasty if you get the right brand.  My favorite is Silk – they offer both soy and almond milk with flavor varieties that include regular, light, chocolate and vanilla.  While there are some really gross brands out there I prefer it to regular milk any day.  Before  I went veggie I hated the taste of milk for as long as I could remember.  My parents thought it was something I would grow out of but I never did, and even now I haven’t had a drop of milk in probably ten years.  I drink Silk Soy Milk regularly and absolutely love it!

French toast is a great dish that works for almost any occasion.  This recipe is a vegan take on classic french toast, and while it is simple it is still really delicious.  It is great for kids, adults, chilly mornings, late summer brunches and everything in between.  Not a vegan?  That’s okay, I promise you won’t even notice the difference!

Vegan Banana French Toast

Here is what you need:

• Bread – Any kind, I like to use oatmeal or whole wheat bread 
• 1 cup Silk Soy Milk or Silk Almond Milk
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Cookie Cutters
• Butter substitute for pan
• blueberries (or your choice of fruit) to garnish
• Your choice of syrup

Cut our your bread shapes.  I’m using hearts because those are the only shapes I have, but who doesn’t like heart shaped food?!  I love their size so they work really well for this recipe.  This step is optional, but even if you do whole slices of bread you should go ahead and let it sit out while you’re getting everything else ready so it dries out a little.

Next mix your ingredients.  Pour the soy or almond milk (I use soy) into a shallow but wide bowl.  If you want to give your french toast a boost, use Silk’s vanilla soy milk, it really compliments the flavors!  Add the cinnamon and flour then whisk together.  Puree half of your banana and add to the mixture.  I don’t have a food processor so I smash it up with a fork and then scrape it into the bowl.  Whisk everything together until there are no lumps.

Heat a frying pan on medium-high heat.  You don’t want it to burn your bread but it needs to be hot enough to sizzle.  A good way to test is to drop a spoon of water onto the pan, if it bubbles for a minute and evaporates then you’re good.  Add a VERY small amount of butter substitute to your pan – just enough to prevent sticking.  Dip your bread into the liquid mixture to coat (not soak) it and then drop it onto your skillet.

Cook each side for 1-2 minutes.  They should have a nice rich brown color when they’re done.

Once your bread is cooked put it on a plate to cool and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.  It is delicious as it is but I like to add blueberries, bananas and a drop of maple syrup to mine.

  Here are a few other serving ideas that would be great for this french toast:

•  Add strawberries, powdered sugar, whipped topping and chocolate for a decadent treat.
• If you’re serving kids use honey instead of syrup for a sugar free option
• Top it with peaches and a sprinkle of brown sugar

If you would like to see my pre-cooking prep check out Google+.  Want to see more recipes using Silk?  Check out their Facebook recipe page and #rethinkwhatyoudrink.

Happy eating!

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