Vegan French Toast with Creamy Coconut Milk Maple Syrup

I wish I could come back here and say that it's taken me three weeks to post because I've been perfecting a wonderfully complicated recipe and crafting the perfect way to tell you all about it.  Unfortunately, the truth is much more mundane.  I mentioned before that I was moving and now, well, I've moved.  A very sweaty night and a very early morning packing up my car and clearing those last few pieces of crap things out of my apartment, two ten hour days in the car, a stop at a lovely bed and breakfast, a scenic trip to Fallingwater (which also included getting a bit lost and slightly freaked out when I was running low on gas on a two lane road with nary a gas station in sight...), lots of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me podcasts, an unintened drive through Manhattan and finally,  finally, I'm home.  But, quite honestly, it doesn't really feel like home anymore and, more honestly, it hasn't in a while.

But on a happier note(!), I made this Vegan French Toast for breakfast a few days before I left.  I used one of the last pieces of my homemade cinnamon raisin bread (recipe hopefully to come sometime soon, I'm still perfecting that one).  It's definitely not my usual breakfast but it's a nice change of pace and very well suited for a relaxing Sunday morning with a hot cup of coffee and the paper.

I want to keep cooking and keep blogging while I'm "home" but lately, I've been feeling a bit uninspired in the kitchen.  Perhaps because it's not my kitchen, or because it's quite a bit messier than my past kitchens have been, or because there are often other people using the kitchen when I want to cook.  Whatever the reason(s) it's put a bit of a damper on my usual cooking and eating, but I'm trying to get back.  Send me some inspiring recipes to help!

Vegan French Toast
Ingredients (for one)

1 thick piece of bread or two thin (I used a homemade whole wheat cinnamon raisin)
1/4- 1/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2- 3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 banana, sliced
2 teaspoons roasted almond butter (optional)
extra cinnamon for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Spread the toasted wheat germ in a thin layer on a small plate and set aside.  Mix the coconut milk, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and vanilla together with a fork in a shallow dish (something that will be able to fit the bread, so you don't have to dirty two dishes).

Begin to heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Dip the bread into the coconut milk mixture and let it soak at least 20 seconds on each side (more or less depending on the thickness/ porosity of your bread).  Next, dip the bread into the wheat germ mixture and make sure to evenly coat both sides.

Drop the bread onto the hot skillet and cook for about 2 minutes on each side.  You want the wheat germ crust to get slightly crunchy and the bread to be fully warmed through.

Serve topped with sliced banana, roasted almond butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and coconut milk maple syrup (recipe below).

Creamy Coconut Milk Maple Syrup
Inspired by Angela's Low Sugar Maple Syrup

Ingredients
1 tablespoon grade B maple syrup
1- 2 tablespoons light coconut milk

Preparation
Mix ingredients together in a small ramekin.  Drizzle over French Toast or use for dipping.