I know I was kind of obsessed last week with the monk and the Walk for Peace and this week with the place of NO PEACE–Minneapolis. It is bad enough what we see on the news, but I also have personal friends living in Minneapolis. They are on the front lines of the battle for Democracy and their behind the scenes stories break my heart. So I’ve been trying to support them by getting the word out about ways we can pressure the federal government to stop, or at least reduce, their unconstitutional reign of terror in the Twin Cities. And I want us to keep it up, because there does seem to be some positive momentum on the situation.

However, that is not the only way to stand with Minneapolis. Food has been a big issue there. My friends are often delivering groceries or meals to their neighbors who are afraid to leave their homes because of the ICE occupation. So for a change of pace, I decided I would make some meals associated with Minnesota and share them online with you all. It is an additional way to show my solidarity with my brothers and sisters to the North.

Another reason I decided to do this is to honor Alex Pretti. I believe he would like us to know who he was when he was alive, not just as a martyr to the cause. One thing I read was that his ex-wife said he was vegan. I don’t know if he still was, and I don’t know why he was. But he seemed like the kind of compassionate person who might prefer eating without animals having to die. So I thought I would extend my Meatless Mondays post with some special Minnesota dishes.

However, we’ve been iced in since Sunday, so I had to deal with things I already had on hand. So we are starting off with something perhaps a bit less nutrious, but undeniable delicious–chocolate babka French toast!

My friend Deb (whose birthday was yesterday–Happy Birthday!) is partially responsible for this dish. Until recently, I knew nothing about chocolate babka. I think I had heard about it, but I had never tried it or encountered it. But Deb brought it to a monthly potluck we do with our spiritual center. I had a piece, and it was like “Where have you been all my life?” It was totally addictive. The package also suggested that it made the best French toast EVAH…and I thought that might be true.

Deb told me what grocery store she got hers, but by the time I got there it was sold out. But a few weeks later, she texted me that she had seen it at Trader Joes. When I went to Trader Joes recently, there it was! So guess what came home with me from that shopping trip…

If you are, like me, unfamiliar with babka, it is a sweet braided yeast bread from the Jewish community in Central and Eastern Europe, especially Poland and the Ukraine. Originally it was filled with jam and/or nuts. But once it made its way overseas to the US, especially places like New York City, chocolate or cinnamon became the most popular fillings here.

Babka makes me think of Minneapolis because like many midwestern cities, Minnesota’s original immigrants (besides people relocating from the East Coast) were German and Central/Eastern Europeans. And appaarently most of the Jewish immigrants settled in Minneapolis. There are several bakeries where locals rave about their local chocolate babka, such as Breadsmith, Brake Bread, and most of all, Kramarczuk’s. Whereas I haven’t found any local recommendation for babka here in the Triangle area.

So, our inaugual vegetarian (not vegan) Minneapolis dish is Chocolate Babka French Toast. It’s pretty simple…just French toast make with chocolate babka. I hardly ever make French toast…my son thinks it has been 2 years since we’ve had some. But I tell you…if you’re going to make French toast, this is the French toast to make.

Slice the babka into thick slices (because of the braids, it’s not easy to slice it as thinly as I usually do for French toast).

Soak it in a egg and milk or cream bath with spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and a little salt (I didn’t add any sugar).

Saute it in butter.

Keep it warm in the oven until all the slices have been cooked.

(I know it looks burnt, but it isn’t. That is chocolate melting out of the braids and coating the outside edges. That said, you have to keep an eye on things and not cook it too long or the crispy chocolate coating will burn, which would be nasty.)

Enjoy with some fresh butter on top! It is sweet and rich enough that we didn’t eat it with any added sugar, syrup, or jam.

It is SCRUMPTIOUS! Because of the braids, it is easy for the egg bath to integrate with the inner portions of the bread, so it really is almost like bread custard rather than toast. And, of course, there is also CHOCOLATE. What more could you want?

My son and I ate this as Breakfast for Dinner, and it alone was enough to fill us up. My son thought it was a bit too much…too rich, too sweet. But he ate the leftovers cold the next day, and he liked it better that way. I thought it was great, but two slices absolutely filled me up. It’s not something I’m going to eat on a regular basis, but it is a lovely treat. And it’s a sweet way to kick off our Meatless Mondays, Minnesota Edition series (we did eat this for dinner on Monday).

Stay tuned for other Minnesota-oriented vegetarian recipes.