I have a guest recipe to share from my new foodie friend, Jason Bahamundi. We recently connected through Instagram and share a mutual love for waffles, healthy recipes and fitness. He’s a 2x Ironman who writes about the sport of triathlon while living a plant-based lifestyle on the blog Cook Train Eat Race.  You can also find his musings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

I’m particularly excited about this banana bread recipe as it’s grain-free and, with the exception of a little molasses, is naturally sweetened with bananas.   Take it away, Jason!

Vegan banana bread french toast is on the menu and before you run away thinking that if it is vegan then it can’t be any good let me just say that this will make you forget about eating any other kind of french toast.  It was that good.

My wife and I are big banana eaters but sometimes they may turn too brown and rather than throw them out we do one of two things with them:

1. Freeze them to make vegan ice cream.
2. Make banana bread or muffins or cupcakes or waffles.  You get the picture.

When Joanna (by the way, thank you for allowing me to write a guest post on your fabulous blog) asked me if I would be willing to write a waffle recipe for her site I don’t know if I even thought before saying yes.  Joanna and I are similar to long lost cousins except we are long lost foodies.  We post regularly to Instagram our meals and we seem to always post waffles.

Having just written a waffle recipe for NEO Endurance And Sports I thought that I could come up with something else but that was when I looked at the bananas on my kitchen table.  They were looking like they would turn at any time and so I offered a recipe for vegan banana bread french toast and Joanna immediately said that would work.

The hard part about making the vegan banana bread french toast was the waiting.  You see, I am an Ironman triathlete and do heavy training on the weekends and knowing that the banana bread french toast was on the meal plan I couldn’t wait for Saturday to show up.  While I was riding my bike for nearly 5 hours the only thing going on in my head was banana bread french toast.  That kept me motivated to finish my ride.

Once I got home and got started the aroma of banana bread filled the air and I knew I had a winner.  This meal would be perfect for breakfast, lunch or brunch on the weekend.  I know what you are saying right now and so I will not hold out on you any longer and provide the recipe for the vegan banana bread french toast.

Vegan Banana Bread French Toast

Ingredients:

• Vegan Banana Bread:
  
  1/2 cup Coconut Milk
  2 Tablespoons Ground Flaxseed
  2 Cups Garbanzo Bean Flour
  1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  1-1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
  1/4 Teaspoon Salt
  1 Tbsp Molasses
  1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  4 Medium-Sized, Ripe Bananas, Mashed
  1 oz chopped cashews
• French Toast:1/2 cup Coconut Milk
  2 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed

Servings: 8-10 slices of banana bread

Nutritional Information (per slice): 206 calories, 26g Carbs, 5g Fat, 8g Protein, 7g Fiber

Directions:

Banana Bread

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
3. In a measuring cup combine the coconut milk and flaxseed and set aside.

   

4. In a large-sized bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
5. In a separate bowl combine the molasses, vanilla, and bananas until well mixed.
6. Stir in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients by hand, being careful not to over-mix; a few lumps are okay.

   

7. Add in the ‘egg’ which is the flaxseed and milk mixture and combine well.
8. Gently fold in the nuts any other add-ins.
9. Spread the batter into your prepared loaf pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is browned and resilient to the touch.
10. 10. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing it to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. 11.Wrap in plastic wrap and place in bread box until you are ready to make the french toast.

    

French Toast

1. Combine the milk and ground flaxseed in a large bowl and allow to form a gel over 15-20 minutes.
2. Slice the banana bread into the size that you want.
3. Toast the bread in the toaster to create a crunchy exterior.
4. Place bread in bowl and allow to sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side.
5. Rub griddle with olive oil and pre-heat to medium-high.
6. Place banana bread on griddle when oil is hot.
7. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
8. Plate

As you can see from the pictures I used blueberries, goji berries and homemade nut butter but let your imagination run wild.  Shredded coconut, kiwi, sliced apples. honey are all other items that would go great on top of the vegan banana bread french toast.

It’s so pretty. I can’t wait to make it this weekend!  For more meal inspiration, be sure to stop by Cook Train Eat Race.