Take your French toast and stuff it
Before vacations from school and work come to an end and life is once again hectic, get the family together and relax with a special breakfast like French toast stuffed with fruit and cream cheese. Special doesn’t have to be decadent, however, when the ingredients help cut back on fat without sacrificing flavor. To make the morning leisurely as well as memorable, choose recipes like the ones below where some of the work is done night before.
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Low-Fat Strawberry French Toast
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped
5 ounces brick-form nonfat cream cheese, softened
1 16-ounce loaf French bread, sliced 3/4-inch thick
1 cup liquid egg substitute
6 egg whites
3/4 cup evaporated skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry sauce (recipe below) and maple syrup, optional
In a small bowl, combine strawberries and cream cheese. Spread thickly on one half of the bread slices and top with the other slices to form strawberry sandwiches. In a 13x9-inch baking pan, combine egg substitute, egg whites, evaporated milk and vanilla. Place sandwiches in the pan, turning to allow egg mixture to soak into both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the sandwiches to prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve with strawberry sauce and maple syrup, if desired. Makes 8 servings.
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If you don’t have frozen orange juice extract on hand, substitute 1 to 2 teaspoons of orange extract or 2 tablespoons orange juice mixed with 1/2 teaspoon orange extract.
Strawberry Sauce
1 quart hulled strawberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries, sugar, water and orange juice concentrate. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Makes 8 servings.
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Pineapple Orange Drink
6 cups orange juice
2 8-ounce cans crushed unsweetened pineapple, undrained
16 ice cubes
Place half of the orange juice, pineapple and ice cubes in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
Maple syrup is best served at room temperature or warm. To easily warm syrup, place it in a microwave-safe container. For every 1/2 cup of syrup, heat on high power from 30 to 60 seconds. Because microwave ovens and the starting temperature of the syrup vary, always start with the lowest amount of heating time.
The Practical Pantry ©2004 Tammy P. Olson
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