Vegan Crepes filled with Banana Custard atop Raspberry Coulis

A very close friend of mine, Brianne Wells, loves Vegan desserts probably as much as I do. In celebration of her pregnancy, I had a little dinner party for her this weekend. She looked so beautiful with that natural glow and oh so adorable baby belly. Since she had requested carrot cake and overdosed on it the week before, I switched gears and sought a springtime-flavored dessert instead.

I chose Vegan Crepes filled with Banana Custard on top of Raspberry Coulis, garnished with Fresh Raspberries, Soy Whip Crème, and Toasted Slivered Almonds.

Crepes are traditionally made with eggs. The texture of Vegan crepes can be difficult to recreate, but not impossible. Though they can be served cold, I think they are most enjoyable warm.

Cheers!

DAIRY FREE CREPE BATTER

Ingredients:
1-cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2-cup brown rice flour
1 Tbsp. Kudzu, ground fine
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 –2 1/2 cups soymilk or water
1 tsp. Coconut oil or canola oil

Procedure:
In a bowl, mix flours, kudzu and salt. Add enough water or soymilk to make a thin batter that will coat a wooden spoon. To make batter thin and light, whip all ingredients in blender at least 2 minutes. In a heated skillet (preferably cast iron) brushed with oil, ladle a very thin layer of batter revolving the skillet so it is quickly, evenly and widely coated in a 6-7 inch circle. When ends are brown, loosen crepe and cook briefly until brown on the other side. Stack crepes and store at room temperature until ready to serve.

BANANA CUSTARD

Ingredients:
1 pack of Mori Nu Silken tofu
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 tsp. Vanilla ext.
1/2 tsp. Almond ext
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1/2 –3/4 cup almond milk
1/2- 3/4 cup maple syrup or sugar
1 Tbsp. Arrowroot powder

Procedure:
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Place in refrigerator for 4 hours to chill and firm up.

RASPBERRY COULIS

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen raspberries
1/4-cup maple syrup
1-cup apple juice or water
1 tsp. Vanilla ext.
1/2 lemon, juiced

Procedure:
Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

Coconut Banana Vegan French Toast

As a child, my mom made the best French toast around. To this day, French toast is a favorite of mine. I am typically in a hurry in the mornings and opt for hot or cold cereal, with almond or soymilk and a cup of juice along with a piece of toast with avocado. Quick!

But, on the days where I like to linger around a bit, French toast or Waffles with all the fixings are usually the hit.

So my only request today for my Mother’s Day treat was to have my husband and oldest daughter prepare Coconut Banana Vegan French Toast. It was fabulous!

Here’s the recipe if any of you are a French toast fan. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Coconut Banana Vegan French toast
(Yield: 4-6 servings)

2 bananas
1-cup coconut milk
3/4 cups soymilk
1/2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon (optional)
Sourdough bread
Oil or margarine for frying

Preparation:
Mash the bananas well and whisk together with the coconut milk, soymilk, sugar and cinnamon. Pour into a shallow pan or pie tin.

Dip both sides of the bread into the mixture, and cook in a lightly greased skillet over the medium heat. French toast should be lightly golden brown on both sides.

*** I had my French toast drizzled with maple syrup and lightly dusted with powdered sugar, enjoyed surfing and gardening afterwards and being rewarded with my daughter’s homemade Mother’s Day card that she made at preschool-Priceless! ***

URGENT! Turtle Mountain To Your Rescue!

URGENT! URGENT!

With all this talk of global warming, and weather to indicate it’s true, I must warn you to prepare for these hot days and stock up your freezer with the most heavenly Vegan ice cream there is! Turtle Mountain ice cream is the best! Hands down, it’s the best!

With so many flavors to choose from, 21 to be exact, you will never grow tired of this cold treat. Who else makes cherry nirvana, chunky mint madness, peanut butter zig zag, or pomegranate chip?

Turtle Mountain is also on my list of favorite companies for it’s excellent yogurt and ice cream bars. Not too long ago, they started making coconut milk based yogurt. It’s as rich and creamy as you’d expect, all the while maintaining it’s agenda to stay healthy.

Established in 1987 with headquarters in Oregon, they are a company with a philosophy to create the finest dairy free desserts on the market. Having won the “Best Desserts” for 7 years in a row, as noted by Veg News Magazine, I think they are hitting their mark!

It’s the ice cream I prefer above all the rest, and I dare you to put it to the test!

Visit http://www.turtlemountain.com - to hear more about this piquant company