Cinnamon Raisin French Toast with Caramelized Bananas

Sweet cinnamon French toast is a breakfast everyone can agree on. Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and drizzled with pure sweet maple syrup. Who wouldn't love it? I love to veganize old favorite recipes and create even better versions.  French toast was a must for the transformation and definitely a winner!

I started with this fabulous sprouted grain cinnamon raisin bread from Beta Bread Bakery, perfectly seared in a cast iron pan, topped with maple glazed bananas, sprinkled with a few walnuts, and for a moment life is good! If only everything was that simple. 

At least your morning can start off perfect! The rest of the day is up to you!🌟

French Toast:

6-8 Slices sprouted cinnamon raisin bread

3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla cashew milk

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

Unrefined coconut oil

Cooking spray

Mix milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and flax seed in a shallow bowl. Let sit about 5 minutes to thicken. Heat cast iron pan about 4 minutes on medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil to pan and spread evenly. Dip each side of bread into mixture to coat each side. Don't soak. Lay bread in pan and let cook 2-3 minutes, spray top of bread with cooking spray or brush with melted coconut oil to help from sticking, flip, and cook 2-3 minutes more until nicely browned. 

Caramelized Bananas:

4-6 very ripe bananas, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 

Chopped walnuts for topping

Heat large non-stick pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon maple syrup and bananas, cook about 1 minute, turn bananas, add 1 more tablespoon maple syrup and cook 1 more minute until browned. 

Serve warm on top of French toast with walnuts and enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers

Beans are a staple of a Vegan diet. Bean soup, bean salad, and of course bean burgers. Beans of all kinds are an important part of a healthy diet. The have been around for 1000's of years and they have been consumed by some of the longest lived civilizations. They contain complex carbohydrates important for fueling our bodies. One 1/2 cup serving of black beans contains 8 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, 15% of our daily value of Iron, and only 120 calories.  Eating beans daily can help you lose weight and reverse diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. 

I've tried many recipes and have settled on this quick and easy recipe as my go to burger. Toppings make the burger! Experiment with different sauces, veggies, and peppers. You can have a different taste each time. Our new favorite sauce is from Just a Vegan Chipotle mayo by Hampton Creek. It has the perfect peppery kick to take an ordinary bean burger to extraordinary. Yes, it is that good. 😋 I personally like to forgo the bread and place my burger on top of a big plateful of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, and chipotle mayo. Then I have room for herb infused baked French fries. Yum!

Enjoy!

Black Bean Burger Recipe:

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 sweet potato, peeled, cubed and steamed (about 1 cup) optional

1 green onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup mild or medium salsa

1 Teaspoon chili powder

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 Teaspoon cumin

1 Tablespoon ground flax seed 

Place beans in large glass bowl, mash by hand with a potato masher leaving some bits of beans. Add remaining ingredients except sweet potatoes and mix well. Add sweet potato, mash slightly leaving some chunks. If mixture is too wet add more ground flax seed. For best results refrigerate mixture for about an hour before cooking. This step is recommended but not necessary. 

Heat large cast iron skillet on medium for 3 minutes. If using other type of pan heat accordingly. Lightly oil pan or spray with cooking spray. Divide mixture into 3-4 patties. Place all patties in pan, lightly oil top of patties or spray with cooking spray, cook 4 minutes before turning, turn and cook 4 more minutes until brown on other side. Cook few minutes more on each side if needed.

*Burgers can also be cooked on an oiled baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through. 

Place on a sprouted grain roll and top with onion, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, and chipotle mayo. Or skip the roll and place burger on top of a bowl filled with all the toppings. Great either way!

BBQ Bean Burgers

Replace salsa with BBQ sauce and add 1 Tablespoon McCormick's Grill Mates barbecue seasoning. Sprinkle seasoning on top of burgers while cooking.

To make a large batch of burgers, soak 1 pound black beans overnight and cook accordingly. Follow above directions using three times the amount of all ingredients. Makes about 12 burgers.

Pico de Gallo

Pico de gallo also known as salsa Fresca is a fresh salsa made with tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeños, salt, and fresh lime juice. It is so simple and so good! It may be my new favorite food.  It's the perfect topping for bean burgers, salads, burrito bowls, or use for dipping tortilla chips.

I've acquired a taste for jalapeños in the last few years since my father grows them and gives them to me by the basketful. I've had no choice but to embrace them. They have just the right amount of hotness to give food a nice spicy kick. I've been throwing them in everything from green juice to bean burgers. They are the perfect pepper for pico de gallo. Once you try it, you may never go back to that jarred salsa again.

Try it today!

Recipe:

*1 large ripe organic tomato, diced small

*1/2 red or white onion, diced small, about 1/4 cup

*1 small jalapeño, seeded and diced small

*5-7 sprigs of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

*1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

*sea salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt to taste. 

Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use up to 3 days.