Vegan French Toast with Blueberries and Fresh Mint

Generally speaking, the French aren’t too fussed about veganism. Though there is a great selection of vegan restaurants in the countries capital, the average restaurant contains meat, fish a good amount of cheese or butter in every dish, so vegan french toast, seems very un-french.  As a vegan french toast seems out of the picture; one of the main components is egg and there’s no real plant-based alternative. However, it’s more than often eaten sweet, doused with sticky maple syrup and topped with fruits (or butter if decadence is your thing), and so substituting eggs for a banana makes perfect sense. The banana substitute means there’s no need to add sugar and gives the toast a satisfying crispness that’s difficult to achieve with the traditional egg coating. 

Ingredients:

Two or three slices of bread (Gluten-free if needed)

One medium/large ripe banana

2 tbsp of plant-based milk

1 tbsp of milled chia seeds
I tbsp of peanut butter (optional)

Ground cinnamon (optional)

To Garnish:

Maple syrup

A handful of blueberries

Roughly chopped fresh mint

How to Cook:

Heat a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add a small amount of any oil of your choice (almond oil is perfect for frying). As the pan heats up blend the banana in a food processor, with a hand blender or manually until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl if mixed in a food processor then add in the milk and chia seeds and thoroughly mix together, ( if you like add a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or for a smooth nuttiness, a tablespoon of peanut butter) let it sit for around a minute and then add in a slice of bread. Turn the bread around so it’s fully coated in the mixture and then place it in the frying pan. Allow each side to cook for 3 mins and turn over, if the pan starts to overheat turn the heat down slightly. Repeat this with the other slices of bread. When all the slices of bread have been cooked stack onto a plate and top with a handful of blueberries, a drizzle of maple syrup, roughly chopped fresh mint, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

Enjoy!