French Toast without Eggs

My lover and wife’s favorite breakfast is French Toast. Easy to make. Dry a few slices of bread, whip up a custard, add some cinnamon, soak the bread in the custard and saute.

But on this Valentine’s Day we had no eggs. A variety of activities had pushed our grocery trip back a few days.

Fortunately our Plant-based Eating group had a recent lesson on egg substitutes. The leader of this group had previously made for us plant-based deviled no-eggs. They looked and tasted exactly like the usual pot luck dinner fare and these were slightly creamier. After showing us half a dozen items that could be used instead of eggs she made plant-based no-egg foo young using split mung beans. At a previous Plant-Based Eating gathering she gave us samples of Kala Namak (a.k.a. Black Salt) which adds an aroma that emulates the sulfurous smell of eggs.

Previous I had experimented with: Apple Sauce as an egg substitute in baked goods; Corn Starch to thicken liquids; Turmeric to add a yellow coloring; and Baking Soda to cause baked goods to rise. Baking Soda needs an acid to form bubbles which the Apple Sauce provides.

I prefer Vegetarian meals (eggs and cheese are okay). Many of the members of our Plant-Based eating group deliberately and exclusively choose fruits, grains, and vegetables for health reasons. The film Forks Over Knives documents research that supports the health benefits of Plant-Based eating. A few members are also gluten-free for health reasons (e.g. Celiac disease). I use Vegan to indicate people who avoid all animal based products for philosophical or religious reasons. For example, vegans would avoid leather shoes and wines that use egg yolk or gelatin to remove the lees before bottling.

A quick look at a few recipes and I had a no-egg alternative to a well loved breakfast treat that would satisfy my Vegan friends as well as my omnivorous friends. The result tasted at least as good as, perhaps better than, the usual egg custard.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of Whole Wheat Bread
• 3 Tablespoons of Corn Starch
• 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda
• 1/8 teaspoon of Black Salt or other salt
  (The sulfur smell is not essential to French Toast.)
• a dash or 2 of Turmeric (for color).
• 1/2 cup of Almond Milk
• 1/4 cup of Apple Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• Maple Syrup
• Apple Sauce or other fruit
• Pecans

Directions

1. Set out the bread to air dry for an hour or so. This helps the bread absorb the liquid.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients (Corn Starch, Cinnamon, Baking Soda, Black Salt, and Turmeric) until the colors are evenly distributed.
3. Whisk in the Almond Milk until smooth without any lumps. Whisk in the Apple Sauce.
4. Lay both sides of each slice of bread in the custard. Typically I lay one slice in flip it, lay a second slice atop the wet side of the first slice, flip both slices together, add a third slice, flip the stack, flip the top most slice, flip the stack flip the new top slice, flip the stack, add another slice … until all of the slices have been coated on both sides. Keeping them in a stack allows the excess batter to ooze into the slices fully saturating the bread and minimizes the dishes used in preparing this meal.
5. Heat a frying pan over low heat. Not heating the pan while flipping the bread in the batter gives the bread a few more seconds absorb the batter.
6. Add the oil to the pan and saute each slice of bread on both sides until brown. In a 12″ skillet I can readily fit 3 or 4 slices.
7. Serve with more apple sauce, maple syrup, and/or pecans.