Berry & Cream Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed French Toast

Berry & Cream Stuffed French Toast
serves 2-4

8 slices of bread (I used Canyon Bakehouse multigrain GF bread)
2 Tbsp salted butter
1/4 cup jam of choice (I used a decadent Fortnum & Mason Kir Royal Jelly - Black Currant and Champagne!)
1/4 cup spreadable cream cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp agave syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a shallow bowl or dish combine eggs and almond milk and whisk until eggs are well beaten and combined with the almond milk. Add agave, cinnamon and vanilla and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Butter both sides of each slice of bread and toast on each side until lightly browned. Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Set pan aside off heat. On half the slices of bread, evenly spread jam. On the other half, evenly spread cream cheese. Make sandwiches of the slices, one cream cheese and one jam.

Using the same pan, return it to medium-high heat. One at a time, place sandwiches in the egg mixture, flipping and letting the milk absorb a bit into the bread. As the each sandwich is ready, transfer to hot pan. Repeat with each sandwich. Cook in batches if you don't have room for all of them in the pan at one time. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Repeat until all sandwiches are cooked.

To serve, cut in halves or thirds. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Cashew Cream

Pile of Cashews

Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews, raw and unsalted
3-4 cups water

Place cashews in a medium bowl. Cover with 2 cups filtered water. Soak for 8 hours or overnight. 

Transfer cashews and water to high speed blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Add more water until desired consistency is reached.

Store in refrigerator for 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

NOTE: Stay tuned for more recipes on when to use cashew cream - they will help you learn what thickness you want in different situations. But generally, you are going for something ranging from the thickness of mayonnaise, to a very thick heavy cream, to a nice thin cashew milk. Always err on the side of too thick, because you can stir in water at any point. 

Peanut Butter Waffles (GF, DF)

Peanut Butter Waffles

Peanut Butter Waffles
yields 12 waffles

1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1  1/2 tsp guar gum
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 eggs
6 Tbsp creamy peanut butter
2 cups almond milk + 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Maple syrup for serving

Heat waffle iron. I heat mine to the highest setting (5). But use the first waffle to test the temperature on your waffle iron so the waffles are golden brown and cooked through.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut oil, eggs, and peanut butter until smooth and well combined. Slowly add almond milk, whisking as you pour. Add vanilla. 

Gradually add liquids to dry ingredients, whisking as you add. Whisk vigorously until smooth and completely combined. 

Pour 1/2 cup batter into waffle iron, close, and cook until waffles are golden brown. Mine took just under 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with maple syrup.

Note: I usually make a full batch and have a few leftovers in the fridge and then freeze the rest in a ziploc bag. To reheat, place in a toaster oven or a 325 oven until warmed and crispy.

Homemade Almond Milk

Almond Milk

Homemade Almond Milk
yields 4 cups

1 cup raw almonds
4 cups filtered water

1 nut milk bag (or, you can buy paint strainer bags at Home Depot that are a fraction of the price)

Place almonds in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak overnight. If you start to soak them but find you won't have time to make the almond milk the next day, place the bowl in the fridge and make the almond milk within a week.

After they've soaked at least 8 hours, transfer the almonds and water to a high speed blender. Blend for 1 minute, or until there are no large almond pieces remaining. 

Arrange your nut milk bag over a bowl or in a pitcher. Pour almond mixture into the bag, in batches and allow to strain. Once you've poured all the mixture through the bag, massage the bag so that all the liquid is squeezed out. Avoid squeezing too tight though, because you could start to squeeze out pulp - which you'll want to avoid or else you'll have a lot of sediment in your almond milk.

Once you've let as much milk drain as you desire, transfer almond milk to jars or containers of choice and refrigerate. If you want to sweeten or flavor the almond milk, do it now. Some options include maple syrup, honey, vanilla, spices... or anything that you're craving! 

Keep refrigerated. Good for up to 10 days.

Peanut Butter & Honey Cookies (GF, DF)

PB & Honey Cookies

Peanut Butter & Honey Cookies
yields 4 dozen

1/2 cup coconut oil melted
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1 tsp guar gum
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325. In a medium bowl, mix together all wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk a bit to distribute all the flours. Add flours to wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Scoop walnut sized balls of dough and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown. 

Note: You could make this recipe refined-sugar free by replacing the sugar with coconut palm sugar. You could also try replacing the sugar entirely with honey, but may need to adjust the flour content - try adding 2 Tbsp extra oat flour.