Delicious Vegan French Toast

Delicious (and easy) Vegan French Toast

I'm in a breakfast mood. The kind of mood that makes you order pancakes for dinner, and chocolate for dessert. The kind of mood you can't get out of until you're sure you have acquired at least seven cavities. The kind of mood that makes you fun. The best kind of mood. Like being a kid again. That's the mood I'm in. And it's the best kind of mood to be in.

Since conquering the astoundingly easy and scrumptious Vegan Pancakes, I have developed an insatiable appetite for vegan breakfast. One such craving being really good (and good for you––no cavities here, folks), smushy, squishy, crunchy, sweet, and full of flavor Vegan French Toast.

The trick to this wonderful breakfast is the bread. I chose a nice artisan rustic bread perfect for dipping into thick batter, and freshly baked at my local farmers market. Make sure you read the ingredient list before you make a choice in bread. I chose a Cranberry, Raisin, and Walnut diary-free, and egg-free vegan bread. Did I miss the diary? No. Did I miss the egg? No. It's delicious, crunchy where it's supposed to be crunchy, and soft where it's supposed to be soft. 

The batter cannot be any easier to make. I simply mixed half a ripened banana (no yellows here), soy milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg and went to work. Easy as pie. 

Ingredients:

Vegan Bread (I used Rustic Artisan Bread)

1/2 Ripened Banana

1 Cup of Soy Milk or Milk of Choice (I used Silk Soy Milk)

1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

a dash of Nutmeg

Agave Syrup, Organic as desired

Directions:

Heat griddle at a medium heat. I use an electric griddle and set it to 350ºF.

Mash banana with fork. Add milk and whisk. Add Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and whisk. Done! Told you it was easy! Let sit while you cut the bread (like I did), or let sit for 5-10 minutes to let the batter meet and greet and get nice and thick. 

I didn't add any sugar because the banana already has enough sugar, so it's really two-in-one. Replaces egg, and sugar. 

Once you have your nice slices of bread, dip in batter for about 3 seconds each side and place in well oiled griddle. I used Coconut oil, but you can use vegan butter or an oil of your choice. Make sure your griddle is well oiled. Let cook for 2-3 minutes each side and voilà! Delicious and delightfully easy Vegan French Toast. Add agave syrup as desired.

My family enjoyed this breakfast so much, and we didn't even have it for breakfast. We had it for dinner. It was a great success. 

Enjoy!

DIY Toothpaste

Today I ran out of toothpaste.

I've been using conventional toothpaste for what seems like ever (like most people), but I did go through a time when I used baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mix. For health reasons, I preferred the 'cleanliness' of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide mix, in the sense that it was free of toxins that conventional toothpaste has. I sort of had a love/hate relationship with it, because though it was toxin-free, it was also quite messy. And if left long enough in the small container I kept it in (after dipping a wet toothbrush day and and day out) it would eventually, and irreparably dry.

I found myself going back to conventional toothpaste, but the result was never the same. All the brands I found were too sugary, too gummy, too. . .wrong. Nothing felt quite right.

After a quick phone call to my sister, and fellow vegan wannabe, I found a recipe that I could use (and love!) with the convenience of conventional toothpaste (minus the bad ingredients. I'm not going to go into depth about the toxins found in conventional toothpaste, but I love Dr. Mercola and I'll let him explain).

Things I loved about my two ingredient homemade toothpaste:

I loved the way my teeth felt after brushing. I didn't even mind the saltiness that baking soda has.

Super clean teeth that lasted for hours.

Fresh breath (yes, even though I didn't use mint).


Things I didn't love about it:

It dried fast.

It became irreparably hard.

Dipping my toothbrush day in and day out. Germs, you know.


So, my sister told me about a recipe she has been using for a few months and has worked wonders for her. There are many recipes out there, and she tweaked this one to her liking. And the best part? *It's squeezable.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Baking soda

1/4 cup Hydrogen Peroxide

20-25 drops of Peppermint Essential Oil

1 tbs of Coconut Oil

12 drops of Trace Minerals

2 drop-fulls of liquid Stevia (or 1-2 Raw Stevia powder bags. I used only one)

Squeezable container, medium


Directions:

First, mix coconut oil if it's not in liquid form, then add all the liquids. Add baking soda last (and powder stevia), and mix well. The consistency should be like conventional toothpaste.

Total time: about 2 minutes.

If the mix is too runny, add baking soda. If the mix is too thick, add more coconut oil. Feel free to taste the mix (after all, its going in your mouth!), if too salty, balance it out with more Stevia. And of course, if you want the peppermint punch, add as much essential oil as you like.

It's May and I live in Las Vegas. It has been hot here lately (but strangely not too hot for May). Today as I was making my DIY toothpaste, I found my coconut oil almost completely melted. I had to add more baking soda to get the consistency I wanted, which I encourage you all to do. Toothpaste is a personal matter, and personal preferences are encouraged. I doubled the recipe and filled the container about half way.

*I stored my mix in a squeezable bottle, and I stored it the way you see the container in the first picture, right-side up. When I went to open the bottle. . . I was squirted with my precious toothpaste. I'm sure this has something to do with the warm weather and the coconut oil. CORRECTION: I brushed my teeth the next morning and I had another mini explosion. No big deal, because it was all air. I'm sure it's because of the hydrogen peroxide. It's like opening a can of soda. Make sure you store bottoms-up for best results, at least the first time you try it.

I store it this way now:

I hope you give this toothpaste a try. You will love it! Oh, I forgot to mention, with the addition of peppermint essential oil, your breath will feel super-duper fresh for hours. Also, if you accidentally touch the peppermint, do not, I repeat, DO NOT accidentally (or otherwise) touch your eye. I made that mistake, and do not wish it upon anyone. 

Happy brushing!

Vegan Pancakes

My nephew loves me. I mean, he loves me. And I love that he loves me because I love him. And I love spending time with him. So, when he sleeps over (and I try to think it's because of me and not the pool or grandma and grandpa) I spoil him. Like today.

He is the cutest, coolest four-year old I have ever met. We sit around watching Scooby-Doo, and Goosebumps, and we love it.

Today he woke me up and demanded pancakes. Pancakes? But I'm trying to be vegan...

Not to worry! I remember reading a while ago (on Pinterest) that banana replaces eggs in baking. Why not, I thought. I have plenty of bananas. And soy milk to replace milk.

So I got started.

Here are the ingredients:







1/2 Banana (ripened)

1 cup Pancake Mix (I used Aunt Jemima)

1 cup Soy Milk (I used Silk Soy Milk)






The recipe on the back of the box calls for oil, but I didn't use it and they came out perfectly fine. I used Aunt Jemima because that's all I had, but the back of the box says the mix is made in a factory that also makes dairy, so next time I make this, I will shop around for a better mix (or even brave a homemade one).

The first time  I made this, I used a whole ripened banana and they were too fluffy (if you can believe that), so the second batch of the day came out perfect. Also, the recipe calls for 1/3 cup of milk, but as I was mixing it, the batter was too dry. I added more milk and the consistency improved.

Directions:

Mash half of the banana. I used a fork and it worked fine.

Mix all the ingredients and whisk together until smooth, about 8-10 stirs. At this point, my nephew insisted in tasting the batter. I had no problem letting him taste it as it has no egg, just banana :) He approved.

I used organic extra virgin coconut oil instead of butter to line the griddle. Also, I forgot to say I heated the griddle at medium/medium high heat before I mixed the batter. I use a griddle with a dial and I set it to 350ºf. Pour 3/4 cup for medium sized pancakes. Cook until edges look dry and batter looks bubbly, then flip.

I messed up the first one I flipped, but the rest looked beautiful. 

The result is a super fluffy, and crispy, delicious pancake. 

I used the extra banana to top my pancakes and drizzled raw, unfiltered honey for that sweet, fruity taste. 

It was a success! We so enjoyed this recipe, and I have a base to go off from now, so next time I'm sure they will be even better. 

Happy eating!

***The recipe says a cup of pancake mix will make 12 pancakes, but I only got about 6 medium sized pancakes. I had to make a second batch, so double the recipe for more delicious pancakes.

Vegging Out

About a year ago I made a conscious decision to become vegetarian. It wasn't a hard decision, as I had been flirting with the idea for years now. I only ate poultry and fish, but soon enough that was too  much for my liking. It was a process. And for me, it took years.

I love eating. I freaking love it. Give me a plate of pasta and I'll devour it. Give me a macaron and I'll disappear it within seconds. I love food. Everyone loves food. It's an intrinsic part of life.

But my palate wasn't letting me eat foods I'd grown up eating. Eggs became unbearable and I couldn't eat my dad's delicious dish of Huevos Rancheros. They're delicious. Trust me, I'm Mexican, and there is nothing better than a well crisped tortilla smothered in homemade salsa topped by a perfect over-easy egg and even more of that delicious salsa mingling in a hot skillet, the sizzling sound of deliciousness teasing your nose and taste buds. It's delicious. But I couldn't eat the egg. One bite of that perfectly cooked, runny and warm egg yolk and I couldn't eat it.

I was actually grossed out.

I mean, I'm Mexican. What was I going to eat? I was left with almost no options. Huevos Rancheros. Tacos de Asada. Al Pastor. Tinga. Milanesa. I mean, nothing.

Well, not really, I soon found out. It's funny how things are when we're focused on something we can't have. Like my favorite foods, for example. I was feeling sorry for myself (but happy for the animals I was no longer eating), and I had to dig and search and dig some more for the foods I was craving. Also, I had many failed food experiments that eventually led to success.

I officially became vegetarian March of 2013. Since then, I have been on the search for delicious, hearty, comforting, filling, wonderful vegetarian food. And I found so many wonderful things I want to share with all of you.

Lately, I've been thinking of cutting out animal byproducts. Dairy. I've been drinking soy milk since I was a kid and I'm so used to it, I never miss dairy milk, but I do eat cheese. And Ice cream. And milk chocolate. And pasta. And Bread! In fact, when I first became vegetarian, my foods mainly consisted of quesadillas and potatoes. It was a learning process. I'm a well versed vegetarian. But now, I'm flirting with veganism.

So now, I'm in search of the best, most satisfying yet healthy and delicious vegan food I can find. It certainly is a roller coaster ride I'm so glad I got on. It's not just about food, though I admit it is my main focal point. I love food, I can't help it. But it is also about living a natural, cruelty-free lifestyle that I am learning to navigate. It's all a big roller coaster ride. A very fulfilling ride.