Veganized: French Toast Casserole

The following article was written by Keegan Baur.

Cooking is all about experimenting, right? Adding this, taking out that, replacing this or that with another ingredient… Just about any recipe can easily be "veganized," and when I saw Paula Deen's recipe for Baked French Toast Casserole, I knew that I had to make it.

Lately, we sure have had fun veganizing with Paula Deen. What recipes have you successfully made cruelty-free? Share the links below and tell us about them!

Baked French Toast Casserole With Maple Syrup
Day 1 Ingredients: 
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
Egg replacer for 8 eggs*
2 cups vegan creamer
1 cup milk alternative
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash salt

*I used 1 banana, 1/2 cup applesauce, and Ener-G Egg Replacer for 4 eggs, and it turned out fine.

• Slice the French bread into about 20 slices, 1-inch each.
• Arranges the slices in a generously "buttered" 9-inch-by-13-inch flat baking dish, in rows, overlapping the slices.
• In a large bowl, combine the egg replacer, vegan creamer, milk alternative, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly.
• Pour the mixture over the bread slices, making sure that all are covered evenly, and spoon some of the mixture in between the slices.
• Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2 Ingredients (for the Praline Topping):
2 sticks (1 cup) vegan butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup*
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

*I substituted Raw Agave Nectar because that was what I had on hand.

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Prepare the praline topping by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl and blending well.
• Spread the praline topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden brown.
• Serve with maple syrup.