Make ahead Cranberry Orange French Toast baked into a casserole with creamy vegan cream cheese and topped with a cranberry orange syrup.
Ingredients
French Toast Casserole
1 14oz block extra firm tofu
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1 loaf brioche or challah bread, sliced into blocks
1-2 tbsp butter
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 oranges, peeled and sliced
½ cup orange juice
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
Cranberry sauce
1 cup fresh cranberries
2 tsp orange zest (about 1 orange)
½ cup orange juice
2 tbsp maple syrup
Directions
Prepare the cream cheese first by squeezing all the water out of the tofu using a tea towel. Transfer the dry tofu to a high speed blender and add in the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, maple syrup and cinnamon. Blend on high until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge to chill.
Next prepare the french toast. Butter the pan and place the sliced bread into the buttered pan. Add the cranberries and orange slices in with the bread and toss until it's even. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, almond milk, syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Pour the wet mix over the bread. Cover with foil and leave to soak overnight.
The next day when you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the foil from the casserole, drop in dollops of the cream cheese evenly spaced apart across the casserole. They should only be about an inch apart.
Recover with the foil and bake in the oven for one hour. br]
Serve with syrup, or make the cranberry sauce. To make the sauce but the cranberries, orange zest, orange juice and maple syrup and bring the mixture a boil. Reduce and simmer for 15 minutes until the cranberries are cooked down and whisk to make sure it's fully combined.
Recipe by Almost Like Mom's at https://www.almostlikemoms.com/overnight-cranberry-orange-french-toast-casserole/