The Vegg French Toast Mix - Product Review

Vegan egg yolk?  Huh?  Well the folks at the Vegg have a plant-based egg yolk.  I heard about the product, so I hit Rocky Shepherd, the company’s founder, up for a sample.  He graciously sent me a package of the company’s French toast mix. 

The Vegg French Toast served with Maple Syrup & Agave

The product comes in a shiny silver pouch.  It is in powdered form and is made with:

WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE MILK POWDER, FORTIFIED YEAST FLAKES (DRIED YEAST, NIACIN,
PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE, FOLIC ACID, B 12), SODIUM ALGINATE, BLACK SEA SALT, ORGANIC SPICE, BETA CAROTENE

The Vegg French Toast Mix

Each package makes 18 slices and sells for $7.99 on the Vegg’ssite. 

The Vegg French Toast Mix with Soy Milk

I had some bread around, so I decided to give it a try.  The package says to whisk 2 tsps of mix with ½ cup water.  (Rocky suggested I try replacing non-dairy milk for the water for a richer french toast.)  This will make 4 slices of French toast.  So I went whisking away… Wow!  I didn’t expect this… the product started to smell like eggs.  When Craig walked in the door, he even said it smelled it. 

The smell dissipated and I placed the mixture in the frig as directed on the package. 

A few minutes later I was ready to coat the bread slices. The mixture soaked in evenly.

Bread soaked in the Vegg French Toast Mix

I coated a skillet with extra-virgin coconut oil and placed the slices in the skillet.  I went to flip the slices and they stuck a little.  When I tried again, the slices didn't stick.  They actually browned nicely with a little crispness around the edges.  Maybe my pan wasn’t hot enough at first.

The Vegg French Toast

So now the taste-test.  It actually tastes like French toast.  I topped them with the ole’ standard maple syrup and agave.  Yum-mee.

Craig is not a french toast guy, so I decided to try it out on a couple of my friends, Barbara & Stacy.  They came over for a Vegg French Toast tasting.  Barbara was really impressed.  She said, "I'll have this anytime." Stacy liked the crispy-lightness of it.

The verdict?  I highly recommend the Vegg French toast mix for an easy, almost fool-proof way to make French toast.  All you need is the bread, non-dairy milk (or just plain water), and some oil to coat your skillet.  This makes me want to try the Vegg baking mix.  Craig says he’d like to have some “eggs” with a runny yolk.  Let’s see what the product can do.  I’ll keep you posted.

Decadent Pralines & Cream French Toast & Butterscotch Sauce (Vegan)

So, what can you make when you have leftover silken tofu?  Well, my go-to is French toast.  We can go extreme with this one and serve French toast with vanilla soy ice cream, topped with butterscotch sauce & pecans... make it pralines & cream French toast.  

Decadent Pralines & Cream French Toast

Usually French toast is made with eggs & milk.  Make it vegan… easy.  Substitute the eggs for tofu and milk for soy milk. 

Sheepherder's Bread, Silken Tofu, & Soy Milk

I used my leftover silken tofu and puree it in a food processor.  Then added non-dairy milk to the tofu puree and thinned it out a little.  Add a little salt to the mixture. 

Pureed Silken Tofu with Soy Milk

Slice bread, day old works best.  I used sheepherder’s bread and cut the thick.  

Dip Bread into Tofu Mixture

Dip the bread into tofu-mixture, flip the bread, and dip the other side.

Flip dipped bread over to coat opposite side

Place well-oiled skillet over medium heat.  I used extra-virgin coconut oil.  It’s super healthy and I’m okay with the flavor.  If you’re not into the flavor, stick with a more traditional oil (sunflower should work well). 

Place mixture soaked bread into heated skillet.  Turn over when browned.  Cook other side.  Remove from heat when finished. 

French Toast

I turned my French toast into a praline topped goodness with pecans and a butterscotch sauce I made the day before.   

Pralines topped French Toast

If you want to get really decadent, add a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream and the praline topping.  Completely epicurean pralines & cream French toast. 

Butterscotch Sauce for Pralines & Cream

I remember indulging in pralines and cream ice cream when I was a kid.  It was one of my favorites.  You can use this recipe and top some vanilla soy ice cream with it.  Don’t forget to top with chopped pecans.  Craig had his without the pecans and thought it reminded him of McDonald’s butterscotch sundae.

Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

2 Tbsp.  Earth Balance or any other non-dairy margarine

¼ c  non-dairy creamer (I used Silk vanilla)

¼ c  brown sugar

¼ tsp. salt

Place Earth Balance  in a small saucepan and heat on medium.  Add creamer, brown sugar, and salt to the melted Earth Balance.  Cook until mixture is thoroughly blended together.  It should thicken a little and should only take a few minutes to cook.

Pour over a scoop of soy ice cream and top with pecans for pralines & cream ice cream.  

Try using the leftover sauce for banana splits, flavored waffles, cake or cookie glaze, etc... whatever your heart desires.

Superfood Breakfast… Quinoa to the Rescue

My mom and her two sisters took a summer trip to Peru, home of the Incan superfood… quinoa.  I know.  I know.  Superfood?  Sounds healthy.  Where’s the junk food?  Well, I’m going to take a small break and give you a healthy breakfast, then back to the trash.  I promise.

Breakfast Quinoa with Sliced Strawberries & Soy Milk

So what is quinoa?  It’s a grain that is high in protein.  Actually, it’s a complete protein.  You may be asking, “What is a complete protein?”.  It’s a protein that has all nine of the essential amino acids in correct proportions.  Not bad for a little grain.  

Uncooked Quinoa

The United Nations General Assembly even declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa.

You can find quinoa in the bulk food section in your favorite health food store or boxed in stores like Trader Joe’s. 

 To cook, put 1 cup of quinoa into a saucepan with 2 cups water.  This will make about 3 servings.  (If you want to make more or less, the ratio of quinoa to water is 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water.)

Cooked Quinoa

Cook on medium heat, until the water starts to boil.  Lower the heat and cover.  Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed.  Turn off heat and leave covered for 5 minutes.  Uncover and fluff with a fork.

Quinoa with Sliced Strawberries

Now, here’s the fun part.  You get to choose whatever ingredients your little heart desires to add to the quinoa.  I used fresh cut strawberries and a little chia seed (to make it even healthier).  I’ve tried cinnamon, cocoa powder and peanut butter, and sliced bananas. 

Quinoa with Sliced Strawberries & Topped with Chia Seeds

Top with a little non-dairy milk, almond milk or soy milk should do just fine.  I used the vanilla flavored soy milk from Trader Joe’s for this batch.  Try it.  See, that wasn’t so bad.  

Good Morning Vegan Eggster Pita

Breakfast anybody?  You know it's the most important meal of the day.  So what do vegans eat for breakfast?  Toast & jelly, granola & soy milk, oatmeal…?  How about eggs?  Wait a minute eggs aren't vegan.  They come from hens.  Well, you can make scrambled “eggs” from tofu.  Don’t think straight from the block.  Yes, you can get a pretty good scrambled egg-like texture from tofu with a few tweaks.

You can put the vegan scrambled tofu “eggs” in between a halved English muffin and melt some vegan “cheese” on top for a vegan Egg McMuffin.  Try it with a splash of whatever condiment you’re in the mood for.  You can also wrap it in a flour tortilla and fill with potatoes, green bell pepper, and onion for a breakfast burrito or try it taco-style.  I like putting a few drops of chipotle Tabasco for a touch of heat.  There are many recipes for scramblers floating around online.  Here’s one that’s a tasty treat. 

Good Morning Vegan Eggster Pita

Good Morning Vegan Eggster Pita

1 pkg of tofu (firm or medium work well)

½ c nutritional yeast*

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp turmeric
unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy, almond, etc.)

Salt & pepper to taste

Vegetable oil

Onions – chopped

Red bell pepper – chopped

Vegan cheese – (I like using Daiya cheddar block & cutting it up)

Pkg pita bread (I use a fluffy bakery style pita that I found at my Middle Eastern grocery store)

Chipotle vegan mayo (or other condiment)

Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Combine nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, salt & pepper in a medium sized bowl.

Mix and then add tofu and continue mixing until mixed with some chunks.  Add a touch of non-dairy milk to add a little fluffiness. Put mixture aside.  Place a well-oiled large skillet on stove over medium high heat.  Add chopped onions and chopped red bell pepper.  Stir and leave until onions are translucent.  Remove from heat.  In an oiled skilled, add tofu mixture and cook until tofu is slightly browned.  Stir in vegan cheese to tofu mixture.

Scramble Tofu 

Stir onions and bell pepper into tofu mixture.  Remove from heat.  Cut pitas in half and stuff with tofu mixture.  In another well-oiled skillet, place tofu stuffed pita and cook until the pita browns and is slightly crispy.  Remove from heat.  Serve with chipotle vegan mayo.  I mix chopped chipotles in adobo with vegan mayo (I use Vegenaise Reduced Fat) to make the chipotle mayo.

Try serving with a fresh glass of orange juice.  It makes a great combo.

Vegan Scrambled Eggster Breakfast Sandwich 

Alternative:  You can also make a breakfast sandwich out of the eggster.  I tried using La Brea Bakery's Take & Bake Dinner Rolls (Yes, dinner rolls.  That's what I had on hand and it actually worked really well.).  Try serving with chipotle Tabasco, salsa, or chipotle "mayo".

*For those of you who are new to nutritional yeast, it's super healthy with lots of B vitamins and other goodies.  It adds a cheesy taste to food.  Craig and I refer to it as extra cheesy flakes (sounds so much better than nutritional yeast).  In this recipe it plays nicely with the other ingredients to give the "egg" taste.  You can find it in the bulk section of your health food store or packaged.  I use Kal brand or get it bulk.