This butternut squash French toast recipe gives a classic weekend brunch fixture an autumn twist.

Who knew French toast could get any better? Then, butternut squash came along and, well, move over PSL. This weekend, take some extra time indulging in brunch with the a gluten and dairy-free butternut squash French toast recipe. It’s crunchy on the outside and warm and moist on the inside.

Besides butternut squash’s delicious flavor, it is the squash’s texture that makes it truly mouthwatering in this French toast recipe. Puréed butternut squash does what milk normally offers – creamy density – but fills in the blank with even more thickness.

This recipe is dairy-free but it still includes eggs. You can nix the eggs altogether for a vegan version, but you will not get that iconic French toast taste and consistency you’re used to. On the other hand, you could use a vegan egg replacer to do the job.

You can use whatever bread you like. If you’re going with gluten breads, stick to a dense whole-grain, fresh from a bakery shelf. But for the gluten-free, this recipe will hold up with most gluten-free breads as well; just look for one that’s not overly processed. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash French Toast Recipe

Makes 4 slices

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup almond milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• ½ cup puréed butternut squash (steamed or baked)
• 4 slices of bread
• Coconut oil for greasing the pan

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and butternut squash purée.

Bring a skillet to medium heat and grease the skillet with coconut oil. Dip each side of each slice of bread into the egg and butternut squash mixture until completely coated. Place the slices onto the skillet and cook for one to two minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy.

Serve the French toast with a topping of fresh fruit, nut butter, coconut butter, and/or maple syrup.

On second thought, you may want to double the recipe, because you’ll likely be craving more than four slices!

Related on EcoSalon
17 Must-Try Butternut Squash Recipes for Fall
Conscious Eating: Butternut Squash Coconut Curry
Why Butternut Squash is an Overdone Foodie Trend

French Toast Image from Karen Neoh

The post Dairy-Free French Toast Recipe with Butternut Squash?! appeared first on EcoSalon.

Would you pay 42 cents for this 1977 version of egg nests?

A 42 cent lunch would be nice! However, I’m not quite sure I’d even fork over that amount, measly it may be, for the above egg nest featured in a March 1977 publication of Homemakers. From the looks of the recipe, there’s nothing in the dish but the elements to a satisfying breakfast! The picture is what gets me. The egg yolk looks raw and the egg white puff looks like some sort of mold overgrowth – not the best thing to imagine on a sensitive morning stomach.

My modern adaptation of an egg nest breakfast uses similar ingredients to those in this retro recipe, but the result looks a lot less worse for wear. I use the egg whites to coat the bread and seal in the moisture, form a nest for the egg yolk, and then give the dish a hint of sweetness with honey and a touch of light earthiness with the fresh mint.

French Toast Egg Nests

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon milk or cream
• Dash of sea salt
• Dash of black pepper
• 2 slices of a thick, fluffy bread
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• A few mint leaves for garnish

Directions:

Separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Reserve the egg yolks for later, keeping them whole.

In a small bowl that has the width (or greater) of the length of the bread slices, whisk together the egg whites, cream, salt, and pepper.

Over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Soak both sides of each piece of bread in the egg white mixture so that both faces’ areas are covered, and place in the saucepan.

Let the bread sit over the head for 1 minute, or until slightly browned, before flipping. Once you rotate the bread, delicately pull apart the center of each slice to create a small nest. Fill each nest with the reserved whole egg yolks, one for each bread.

Pour any remaining egg white mixture in the nests as well, equally distributing it among the two. Don’t worry about the egg whites leaking outside of the nests. Embrace the rustic look!

Immediately transfer the entire saucepan into the oven. Broil on high until the egg yolk cooks to your liking – approximately 2 minutes.

Remove from oven and present the dish in the center of the breakfast table while the toast is still in the saucepan. However, not before drizzling with honey and garnishing with mint.

Enjoy!

There is nothing quite like flipping through the pages of grandmother’s faded cookbooks in all their imperfect glory — the worn edges, the rampant sauce stains and the cluttered pencil marks. With their casseroles, ham dishes and affinity for elaborate presentation, the Betty Crockers and the Joy of Cookings provide a glimpse of food before it all became so much more complicated. At EcoSalon, we love good vintage inspiration, even when it comes to food. Welcome to Vintage Revamp, where we take old and classic recipes and refresh them with a modern-day twist.

Image: JBCurio, Aylin Erman

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

The post Vintage Recipe Revamp: Egg Nests With Fresh Mint and Honey appeared first on EcoSalon.