One of my fondest memories from childhood was waking up to French Toast on holidays and long weekends.  The sweet smell of cinnamon wafting throughout the house was a sure way to get my brothers and I out of bed.  My mother’s recipe, which changed every time it was made,  ranks amongst the best tasting egg-based french toast I have ever had.  It didn’t dawn on me until a few weeks into my selective veganism that I would never be able to have my mother’s french toast again.

After freaking out for five minutes (Mary will claim that it lasted much longer), I quickly hopped onto google and found that like so many other classic animal-based dishes, a vegan alternative exists!

Egg is easily substituted with soy milk while keeping the flavor adding spices the same.  Using homemade bread that is loaded with omega-3′s, B-vitamin’s, protein, and fiber yields a nutritionally superior french toast.  After one bite, I was immediately brought back to days where the hardest decision I had to make was to watch Spider-Man or Ninja Turtles.  In other words, the flavor is there without the egg, which I never thought would be possible.  Give it a try, and let us know what you think.

The Recipe

Serves 2 people and yields 4-6 slices of french toast.

1 cup soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (The secret ingredient!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4-6 slices of bread (I used homemade, 100% whole wheat)

Pre-heat a skillet on med-high heat.  In a small bowl combine the soy milk, vanilla, and spices.  Mix well to incorporate spices.  You can pour the mixture into a shallow pie dish if you want, but that is just an extra dish to clean up afterwards.  Instead, put a slice of the bread in the bowl, let it sit for 2-3 seconds and flip it over.  Put some vegan margarine on the skillet and then place the bread on top of the margarine.  Stir up the mixture for each slice of bread.  Let it cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until each side is golden brown.

Drizzle some real maple syrup on top and enjoy!