insanity
/I am not talking about the latest crazy workout people are doing. I am talking about my breakfast.
It was, INsanity!
Another killer recipe, thanks to (never home)maker.
Any guesses?
Organic, of course!
Now can you guess?
Booyah! Vegan french toast!
I followed the original recipe almost exactly.
Here ya gooooo!
Vegan French Toast
- 2 slices of bread [a heartier bread would be ideal]
- 1t cinnamon
- 1T chia seeds
- 1/2 banana
- 1t vanilla
- 1/2c almond milk [or other milk sub]
- In a wide bowl, mash banana with a fork until it becomes “egg-like.” No lumps! Check my first photo to get an idea.
- Add in the other ingredients and whisk with a fork until well combined.
- Let sit for 5min while the chia seeds thicken the mixture.
- Heat a pan over medium-ish [or a little lower] heat. If you’re using stainless steel pans you want it to be well greased! I use Spectrum Canola spray.
- Dip each piece of bread in the batter and lay in the pan.
- Make sure the heat isn’t too high because you want to cook this for about 5-7min on each side. Typical french toast doesn’t take as long, because the egg helps the bread “set.” Since this has no egg, it takes a little longer and it will still be quite soft.
- After cooking on both sides, either doble dip the bread in the mixture, or pour the mixture on 1 side of the bread and cook again.
- Cook until desired browning is reached.
*Notes*
- I used sliced multigrain sandwich bread. It stayed together, but barely. The batter is quite thick and heavy. It will work best with a heartier bread or with english muffins [like in Ashley’s version].
- Since I used a stainless steel pan, I sprayed it before putting the bread down. Then, each time I picked up the bread, I gave another quick spray underneath before flipping over.
- Again, because there is no egg this doesn’t “set” like typical french toast. It is a bit softer in texture, but in a good way!
What did I top it with?? Strawberries and peanut butter banana “soft serve.” [used 1/2 banana + 1T pnut butter w/1T almond milk]
I completely loved + devoured this. French toast is one of my all time favorite breakfasts, however I hardly ever make it because it’s not too easy to make a healthy version. With the organic multigrain bread, banana, peanut butter, strawbs, 1T of chia, etc., I would say this was pretty healthy!
How to describe this?
Well, first. The soft serve on top was thee PERfect topping. It was a little cold, which gave a nice contrast. It gave the dish a nice sweetness without adding any sugar. And you know I have to get in my pnut butter with breakfast! You could definitely taste it. The chia gave it a good crunch and the bread was nice and soft but not mushy. I loved the caramelized crust that formed on both sides. It was honestly, amazing. I can’t wait to make it again!
It clocked in around 480 cals. I don’t count cals throughout the day, but when I’m making something new for breakfast, sometimes I do. It’s out of curiosity mostly, but also because I want to make sure I’m getting enough cals, fiber + protein, so I’m not hungry 1hr later.
Part of lunch! I can’t get enough of Love Grown Foods granola. YUM.
Dottie recently told me that cherries also help with inflammation. I will take all the natural remedies for reducing inflammation I can get [for my quad]! I didn’t notice any change today. It wasn’t sore from swimming or the walking I did yesterday, which I was happy about.
This wine glass was packed with:
- Wallaby Organic Lemon yogurt [my FAV non-greek yogurt brand]
- Love Grown Foods granola
- chopped frozen cherries
We met up with some friends for dinner at a local spot called Park Burger. I liked the style they were going for with the restaurant. It was sort of trendy/hip but with very reasonable prices.
I got the veggie burger, obviously! It’s house made, so that was a no-brainer!
Interior shot.
Had this Session Dark Lager beer for the first time and LOVED it. I also loved the short, chubby bottle ;)
Ali + Jen
Chris, Hovan, Kyle, Ali, Jen, Jay
Chris got 3 sliders. He said they were really good.
I opted to get the veggie burger on top of mixed greens with a pile of guacamole. I feel like it’s not often that I give a bad review on the blog. Well, here you go. Although this looks delicious, I was not happy with it at all. Where shall I start?
Pros:
- Veggie burger flavor – The flavor was awesome. I couldn’t pick out the exact seasonings but it has a Mexican flavor flare to it.
- I didn’t eat any meat, but they do get their beef locally and it’s fresh, never frozen.
Cons:
- The guac – There was nothing special about this at all. It was not good. I like guac with some body and this was like a pile of goo and too much onion.
- While the burger flavor was good, it was WAY too greasy. It wasn’t deep fried, but just full of grease from the grill they cook it on. I’m SO glad I didn’t get it on a bun because while their buns looks good they also looked quite greasy. I’m all for an indulgent meal but excess grease never tastes good to me.
- It completely fell apart. If it was in a bun, it would have been falling out all over the place. I hate when veggie burgers don’t hold together.
- Did I mention it was greasy?
- The lettuce had dressing on it. Way too much dressing AND it was not mentioned on the menu that it would come with dressing. It read “or served on a bed of mixed greens.”
I’m not sure what they used to try and hold it together, but it didn’t work. I think they maybe used short grain brown rice but I couldn’t make out anything else in it. Also, I’m sorry BUT if you are a burger restaurant you MUST have fresh cut fries. They offered regular + sweet potato fries [which were not very good], neither of which were fresh cut. Complete fail. Sorry Park Burger.
But at least we were in good company :)
Updates:
Don’t forget to check the CO Blogger Meetup II for information about this Sunday. Let me know if you can come, if you’re bringing friends, etc. Check it out!
Aaaand, I’m out!
Ashley
