Vegan Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast

I've been absent from the blog for a couple days because I've been busy, busy, busy cooking big meals for clients. Loving every second of it, of course, but already feeling the effects of being too tired to get much of anything else done.  I couldn't let too long go without taking part in Vegan MoFo, however!

On Saturday, I posted the butternut squash recipe I made for the 11 person dinner I did on Friday night.  Today, I thought I'd share a recipe that I prepared for clients for breakfast this morning.

The first time I chatted with my client, she told me that her family is big on eggs. Hearing this, I knew that I'd be up against tough critics preparing a vegan breakfast. Challenge accepted!   Oh, and did I mention that the breakfast also needed to be gluten free.

I knew just the thing to make for them that would be hearty enough to fill up the stomachs of a few young adults with big appetites, but light enough to still want to eat again later in the day. And, of course, I had to make sure they weren't left missing their eggs. The answer was pumpkin French toast!
The French toast is great on it's on, but to amp it up a bit, I also whipped up a batch of my pumpkin pie dip, using only half the amount of water to spread between two slices of the bread, after they were cooked.

 plain pumpkin french toast, no stuffing

French Toast

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 T ground flax meal

2 T maple syrup

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

2 T chickpea flour

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 T arrowroot or other starch

Pinch of coarse salt

6 (1 1/4-inch-thick) slices sourdough bread

1/4 C pumpkin drizzle (recipe follows) 

Optional Toppings: Walnuts, dried cranberries, maple syrup, berries

1. In a large bowl, let flax seed, vinegar and milk sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. 

2. Add to the milk mixture the flour, vanilla, salt, spices and sugar and whisk until smooth. Add pumpkin drizzle and whisk again. 

3. Transfer bread to a shallow pan and pour mixture over bread slices, making sure liquid is fully covering the bread. Flip bread over and using a spoon, baste with the liquid until well coated and absorbed. (You may also dip bread into the mixture if the bowl is big enough).

4. Heat a skillet and oil it well, or use cooking spray.  Place as many bread slices as fit comfortably in the pan, with some space between each.  Cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Gently lift with spatula to check on doneness and flip carefully and cook the other side until golden, another 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside. If stuffing, spread filling evenly over half the bread slices, then top with the other half to make a sandwich. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven, if not serving immediately. Serve with desired toppings and spoon over some of the extra pumpkin drizzle. 

Pumpkin Drizzle Makes about ½ C

¼ C pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp orange extract

2 T maple syrup

2 T almond, or coconut milk 

Add everything to a medium bowl or blender and whisk or blend until smooth.