Ah, Southern California, your fickle spring weather makes me laugh. A couple of days ago we were in the 90’s and now I’m snuggled up under a blanket, a fire in the fire place, watching last night’s rain drying on the leaves out my window.
I was in the mood for something warm and comforting this morning for breakfast, so I gave a new recipe a try. Louisiana Bride’s Breakfast Pumpkin Custard.
Since it is made with *mostly* legal ingredients, I thought I would give it a shot.
The recipe calls for 4 eggs, but since those are off limits for me, I ground chia seeds in my coffee grinder and made chia flour. I used 1/4 cup (1 Tbsp. for each egg I replaced.) 
I also used 2 very ripe bananas, 1 can of whole (full fat) coconut milk, 3 Tbsp. almond butter and spices. Since the recipe doesn’t specify quantities, I used the following:
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch salt
I placed all the ingredients in my blender and blended until thoroughly mixed. I poured it in a 9×13 pan…
…and topped with pecans. Then, into the oven it went for 1/2 an hour at 350 degrees.
The consistency was light, fluffy and decidedly custard-like.
We sampled it, but even though the ripe bananas added sweetness, it didn’t balance the almost astringent flavor of the pumpkin purée, so I got creative.
I made a date syrup to drizzle over the top.
4 small or 2 large dates
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 Tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp. orange juice
Blend all ingredients, adding more water or orange juice until desired consistency and flavor is achieved. Pour over warm custard.
It was better with the syrup, but for next time, I would add dates and vanilla into the custard itself as well as using the syrup on top.
I might even up the spices and add a little grated orange zest into the batter.
Still, it was good. I can’t wait to keep experimenting!
The Reluctant Vegan 