Dairy Free French Toast Breakfast Casserole [RECIPE]

The BF wanted a breakfast casserole over our 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. When he says breakfast casserole, I immediately think bake french toast. Blueberries & pecans also immediately jumped to mind, but jst because that sounded yummy at the time. So I looked up a few recipes for guidance, then set to making my own dairy-free baked french toast/bread pudding type dish.

As per usual, he walks out while I'm prepping. Normally, he is all for supporting dairy-free options, but he also lives on milk so when he sees the lack of dairy he goes into the meal skeptical (never mind all the times I just don't tell or wait until after the fact, and he never noticed!).

DF French Toast Breakfast Casserole (Optionally TNF)
1 baguette, cubed
1 c blueberries
1/4 c chopped pecans (or walnuts)

For Custard:
8 eggs
2 c almond milk
1/4 white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For Crumble:
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 c rolled oats
1/4 c chopped pecans (or walnuts)
2 Tbsp Fleischmann's margarine

Grease a 9x13 casserole dish
Add cubed bread & blueberries
Top with chopped pecans
Whisk together custard ingredients and pour over bread mixture
Cover and let sit in refrigerator overnight
Remove from refrigerator about 1 hour before baking
Cut margarine into other crumble ingredients
Top casserole before baking
Bake 350F for approximately 45 minutes
Serve with maple syrup

I did not have any on hand, but I bet this would be delicious with some orange juice added to the custard. I'm thinking about 2 Tbsp (maybe up to 1/4 cup). There's just something about orange juice & blueberries that works so well.

For a nut-free option, simply leave out the pecans. They are completely unnecessary, but a favorite of mine. There's enough sweetness in the casserole & other textures in the crumble topping to make this delicious.

Dairy-Free Protein Shakes/Smoothies

Before I thought of doing a dairy-free blog, I posted this smoothie recipe on my other blog. Those dairy-free protein powders are too expensive for me, so I whipped up my own substitute. Not quite as packed with protein, but still contains a large amount. I've got a buddy who is really into the protein powders, working out, etc and he's told me that the amount of protein you get in one of those shakes is more than your body can process anyway. The difference is only 7-5 g anyway, which I feel is negligible.

1/2 - 1 cup non-dairy milk*
2 Tbsp flax seed
1 Tbsp almond butter
1/2 banana

Nutrition Facts (base only):
228-278 calories
12-14 g fat
360-485 mg potassium
23-27 g carbohydrates
      6-7 g fiber
      10-12 g sugar
9-13 g protein  

I'm a big smoothie person; they are my go to breakfast. So, I normally just pack up 1-2 cups of fruit/veggies/greens along with the banana in a small container or bag and freeze them up ahead of time. Then just dump into a blender, add the non-dairy milk, almond butter, and flax seed, and blend away. No ice needed. They make very thick smoothies, almost like an ice cream shake. Also, for those of you who aren't a fan of bananas (that would be me), only using half adds protein and substance without an overpowering flavor.

*for these purposes, the amounts are based off soy milk (Soy Dream original enriched), although I often use vanilla almond milk (or whatever is on sale).