French Toast Sticks

Ok, so I posted a not so healthy French Toast recipe a few weeks ago so I thought it was time for a healthier version.  I made these French Toast Sticks this past Sunday and they were quick and easy.  I guess that’s been the motto the past two days, but with twin toddlers in the house quick and easy is perfect.  In this recipe I used a whole wheat baguette for the bread (to get the whole grains in there) and instead of using all eggs I used half egg whites and half eggs.  I really like cinnamon so I used a little more then you may want.  You decide what is best for your needs.  As for topping, I really like fresh fruit and this also allowed me to use a smaller amount of syrup.  My husband on the other hand loaded his with butter and syrup, but he can get away with it.  I hope that our daughters get his metabolism!  Either way these are delicious and a great breakfast for the whole family on weekend mornings.  If you have leftovers you can freeze them and heat them up during the weekends.  Look at the note at the end of the recipe for tips on freezing.  Enjoy! 

French Toast Sticks

• 3 egg whites
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup low-fat milk (or soy milk)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg, ground
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 slices whole wheat French bread, each cut into 4 4-inch (1/2 inch thick) pieces

 

In a shallow bowl, combine egg, egg whites, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Dip both sides of bread pieces in egg mixture.

 Cooking in batches, place bread pieces in a single layer in skillet and cook 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned and egg is cooked through.  Serve with topping of choice. 

The French Toast Sticks can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  To enjoy, remove from freezer and thaw completely.  Heat in a skillet coated with olive oil cooking spray over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes or until heated.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

 

During the week I’m all about quick and easy meals.  It’s even better if I have leftovers that can be used for another meal during the week too.  This recipe fits all of these needs.  It’s easy, quick and delicious.  I came across this recipe from My Kitchen Café.  What a great blog with a number of recipes I would like to try!  This one fit the need I was looking for when I needed an easy meal.  I used brown rice and whole wheat tortillas but please feel free to use what you like best.  If you have been following my blog you know I’m all about healthy and whole grain use in my cooking and baking.  I served these wraps with fresh salsa and guacamole.  These wraps were delicious and were a hit with my husband.  It will be a recipe I will definitely use again.  Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken Wraps

Adapted from My Kitchen Café

• 1 cup cooked brown rice, warm or at room temperature
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
• 1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 Lime
• ½ Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• 1 to cups shredded 2% cheese
• 6 tortillas of choice (I used whole wheat)

Mix cooked rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt.  Add the next 6 ingredients (chicken through lime juice) to the rice mixture. 

Sprinkle cheese over tortilla, leaving ½ inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open.  Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute.  Arrange 2 wraps seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and serve with fresh salsa and guacamole.

Note:  If you have leftovers, just place the chicken and rice mixture in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  When ready for a quick and easy meal take the chicken and rice mixture out and prepare another wrap as described above.

Pumpkin Spice Biscuits with Homemade Pumpkin Butter

 

I love biscuits!  After all I am from the south!  Growing up that was one of my favorite things that my grandmother would make.  Every time we went to her house she would always make me a pan of biscuits.  Of course, when I found out what went into my grandmother’s biscuits I didn’t have the heart to tell her that they no longer were my favorite.  Growing up in the south lard was a regular add to recipes.  This of course was the ingredient that made me change my mind about my grandmother’s biscuits.  I’m the healthy eater in my family and they often shake their heads at me at holiday dinners.  My husband and I aren’t close to family now so most holidays I do the cooking and you can count on me doing healthier versions of some of my southern favorites.

This biscuit recipe is not only using whole grains but it has my favorite fall ingredient….pumpkin!  My husband has already requested these for Thanksgiving this year (even though he loves the sweet potato version I usually make).  Your house will smell wonderful while these biscuits bake.  I like them warm with a little bit of pumpkin butter.  Once you take a bite you will be amazed how delicious a whole grain biscuit can taste.  My husband doesn’t even know they are whole grain!  I didn’t have the heart to tell him after he sat eating most of the pan and requesting them at thanksgiving.

 Another note, I’m sure you can substitute the pumpkin for sweet potato too for a great sweet potato biscuit.  Enjoy!    

 

Pumpkin Spice Biscuits

• 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
• ½ cup unbleached bread flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• ¼ to ½ cup Greek Yogurt (0% or 2%)

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Mix together the flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.  Place cubed butter into dry ingredients and blend with a pastry blender.  Blend thoroughly.

Stir in the pumpkin puree and honey into the dry ingredients.  Add enough yogurt so that a ball of dough forms.  Dough will be slightly sticky – this is fine.  Knead the ball of dough 8-10 times until everything is thoroughly mixed together.

Drop tablespoon size biscuits onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  I used a ice cream scoop and it worked great.  Bake the biscuits about 10 -12 minutes until tops are golden.

Great served warm with pumpkin butter.  See below for homemade pumpkin butter.

 

Homemade Pumpkin Butter

Adapted from AllRecipes

• 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree, about 3 ½ cups
• ¾ cup apple juice
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Juice of half a lemon (optional)

Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened.  Stir frequently.  Adjust spices to taste.  Stir in lemon juice (if using), or more to taste.

Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Homemade Granola

 

I love granola, but honestly I have never made homemade granola…of course until now!  It reminds me of our family trips to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone.  My parents and I would meet up there with my dad’s brother’s family and we would spend a week out in the wilderness hiking and camping.  My Aunt, Uncle and cousins would pack up their RV and drive from Iowa and we would meet them there.  Of course we took the other route and flew.  My Aunt Ter would always bring along homemade granola.  She would pack big bags of it so we would have for the week.  My cousins and I would always have a zip lock bag packed away in our backpacks and at the resting point of our long hikes that was the first thing we grabbed to much on.

Lately, I was getting tired of having oatmeal in the morning but I was trying to think what alternative I could have…then it clicked, Granola!!  Shortly after, I stumbled on a very cute blog called Running the Traveling Road.  She had a great granola recipe that I knew I had to try.  I made a couple adjustments to my recipe by adding pecans and reducing the sunflower seeds and subbing out some of the brown sugar for sucanat (non-refined cane sugar)…oh and added maple extract.  The end result was super delicious!  The best thing about granola is you can pour milk over it and have it for breakfast.  Add it to your yogurt with fruit or even grab a handful for a snack.  Even my girls loved it!  I gave them a couple bites and Laine looked at me and said her famous “yummy mommy!”  So it’s a winner and I think this means I will be making lots of homemade granola in the future. Thanks Running the Traveling Road for the recipe!

 

Homemade Granola

• 4 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup ground flax
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ½ cup pecans, chopped
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (I used ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup sucanat)
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 250.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper

Mix together first 7 ingredients (thru pumpkin pie spice)

Whisk together brown sugar, oil, honey, salt, vanilla and maple extracts.  Incorporate wet ingredients into dry.

Spread evenly on 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring the granola every 15 minutes to ensure even baking and color.

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

 

Last night I was in the mood for chocolate.  This doesn’t happen too often so I decided I better give into my craving.  I then had to decide what I was going to make…brownies…cookies…muffins?  I decided on cookies since I can usually have a cookie and the craving will be satisfied.  I also know that my husband is the cookie monster in my house so one is usually all that I can get before he eats the rest.   I decided on Chocolate Espresso Cookies because for the past two months I have given up coffee and in a way I was craving that wonderful taste.   I added a little more espresso powder in my cookies but below I placed the amount I would recommend.  If you aren’t into the flavor of espresso you can leave it out also.  These cookies are delicious and so much for that one cookie I mentioned earlier…I couldn’t have just one!  As always, I tried to incorporate whole grains into the recipe.  I did so here with whole wheat pastry flour.  You can also use regular whole wheat flour in place of the pastry flour if you so desire.  I find the whole wheat pastry flour gives you a tender cookie.  I love dark chocolate so I also used it in cookie recipe but please feel free to use the chocolate you prefer.  Enjoy!!

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp Agave Nectar (if you don’t have you can use ¼ cup regular sugar)
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour or whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
• ½ tsp espresso powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 ounces good-quality dark chocolate (60 – 70% solids), coarsely chopped
• 2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl, mash together the butter, brown sugar and agave nectar with a fork.  Mix in oil, egg and vanilla until well combined.

In a medium bowl, mix together flours, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt.

Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combine.  Stir in chopped chocolate and nuts (if using).

Using a tablespoon, scoop the batter onto cookie sheet.  Bake until the cookies are just set, about 12 minutes.  Place cookie sheet on a rack to cool.  Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.  They should keep for about 4 days.  You can also place in freezer.

Banana Cinnamon Crunch Cake

Bananas, I don’t like them much.  Maybe because I ate so many of them when I was younger.  As a child and even into college, it was my go to snack before and after soccer games for some reason.  However, bananas are a favorite with my husband and the girls so I usually buy in a mass amount which usually means I have ripe bananas in the end.  I actually get excited when they are too ripe because that means I will have to use them in something baked.  I actually prefer bananas in a bread, cookie or cake then by themselves.  Maybe that’s why I get so excited when I see the bananas starting to get their brown spots? 

This recipe is really delicious and it was hard for me to decided if it was a cake or a bread.  My husband ate it as his breakfast, but I munched on it as a dessert.  I will leave it up to you, but I have to say the cinnamon and oat crunch topping adds so much to the bread.  Yummy!  The cake (or bread) was really moist too, which as you know is a must for me.  I didn’t add anything to the cake but I’m sure you could add nuts of choice, chocolate chips or even cinnamon chips.  I think the cinnamon chips would be delicious.  Maybe next time I’ll add those and let everyone know the end results.  I’m still waiting on my cinnamon chips to arrive from King Arthur Flour so I can make my Apple Pie Bars and Pumpkin Cinnamon Bar.  As you can tell I’m in the mood for fall!  Too bad it’s still 85 degrees in South Florida. 

I hope you enjoy the Banana Cinnamon Crunch Cake!

Cinnamon Banana Crunch Cake

For Cake:

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (2 large or 3 medium bananas)
• ½ cup non-fat or 2% Greek Yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For Crunch Topping:

• ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup pecans, chopped

 

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.

 

To make cake batter:

Whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together applesauce, oil and brown sugar.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl between additions.  Mix in half the dry ingredients until moistened, then mix in the bananas, yogurt and vanilla.  Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the remaining dry ingredients. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

 To make topping:

Combine the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small mixing bowl until well blended.  Stir in the melted butter until the moisture forms large crumbs; stir in the chopped nuts.  Sprinkle the topping over the batter in the pan.

 Bake until the edges pull away from the pan and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.  Remove the cake from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 20 minutes before serving warm.

Chicken Pot Pie Bites

 

Chicken Pot Pie is a favorite around my house.  With fall approaching I thought what better time to make a chicken pot pie.  However, I wanted to try something a little different this time.  I wanted to attempt making individual bite size chicken pot pies which would be just the right size for the girls.  I searched for recipes online but couldn’t find anything.  This lead me to try it on my own.  The end results I thought came out great and it’s just the right size for toddlers.  I know this recipe will be great when they get older too. 

Usually when I make chicken pot pie I buy the crust premade, but since I have been trying to be healthy and use whole grains where I can I decided to make the crust from scratch.  That way I knew what was going into the crust which in turn made me know that I was giving the girls something healthy and good.  However, please use what is the best for you and your family.   For the filling, I used my tried and true recipe.  I had left over filling after making the bite sizes which allowed me to make a serving just for my husband.  So in the end everyone was happy in my household.  If you don’t have little ones around your house, you can always skip the bite size version and make a “big” version using a 9×13 baking dish.  Either way I hope you find these enjoyable! 

 

Chicken Pot Pie Bites

For Whole Wheat Pie Crust (adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook):

·         1 cup whole wheat flour

·         1 Tbsp buttermilk powder (optional)

·         1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar

·         ¼ tsp baking powder

·         ¼ tsp salt

·         6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter

·         2 Tbsp orange juice

·         2 to 4 Tbsp ice cold water

Whisk together the flour, buttermilk (if using), sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  Cut the butter into small cubes and work into dry ingredients using a pastry blender or fork until the dough is evenly crumbly.  The goal is a crumbly mixture featuring uneven bits of butter, with the butter being in recognizable pieces. 

Sprinkle the orange juice over the dough and toss to moisten.  Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough is cohesive.  Grab a handful; if it holds together willingly and doesn’t seem at all dry or crumbly, you’ve added enough liquid.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a round disk.  Roll on its edge along a floured work surface, as though the disk were a wheel, to smooth the edges out.  This will result in a rolled out crust, rather than ragged, edges.

Pat the disk until it’s evenly round and about 1 inch thick and roll it like a wheel again.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.  I refrigerated my crust for two days before using.  When ready to use take pie crust out and allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

 

For Chicken Pot Pie:

·         1 ¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts

·         1 tsp salt

·         Ground black pepper

·         2 Tbsp Olive Oil

·         1 onion, diced

·         2 celery stalks, diced

·         2 carrots, diced

·         1 ½ cups red potatoes, cut into small pieces

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         1 ½ cups low-fat milk

·         1/3 cup white whole wheat flour

·         2 cups low sodium chicken broth

·         1 cup frozen peas

·         2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

·         1 Tbsp fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350.

Season Chicken with ¼ tsp salt and a few turns of fresh ground pepper.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil over a medium-high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until chicken is done, turning only once.  Transfer the chicken to a plate, when cooled cut into bite size pieces. 

Add 2 more tsp of oil to the pan, add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, garlic, and remaining salt and pepper to cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the milk to the pan.  Stir the flour into the chicken broth until dissolved and add to the pan.  Cook stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.  Stir in reserved chicken (cut into bite size pieces), peas, parsley, and thyme. 

 

Preparing the Chicken Pot Pie Bites:

When ready, spray a 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.  Roll out pie crust to 1/8” thickness.  You should have enough pie crust to cut 12 3” squares for the bottoms of the bites and 12 1” round disks (using a biscuit cutter) for the tops of the disk.  Place a 3” square into one of the cups covering the cup bottom.  Repeat with the remaining cups.  Then place the chicken pot pie filling into each cup.  Take one of the 1” round disks and place on top of the pie filling and sealing the top to the bottoms.  Repeat with the remaining cups.  Then place three slits on top of the pot pie bites.

Bake until bubbling and crust is golden.  About 30 to 35 minutes.

Note:  I had some of the chicken pot filling left-over so I baked my husband his own in a small casserole dish and used some pie crust I had left-over in the freezer.

Chicken Pesto Bites in Parmesan Cracker Cup

 

On the weekends around my house it’s nice to have something that you can snack on quickly. There isn’t much time to sit down and have a meal in the middle of the day.  Entertaining 22 month old twins takes most of my time and when they are down for the nap I’m trying to get things done around the house.  I’m sure all moms out there can relate!  So these are great and easy because everything can be made before hand.  You can prepare the cracker cups and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze them up to about 3 months.  The chicken pesto mix is easy to mix and store in the refrigerator (even great in a sandwich!).  What’s even better is the pesto sauce uses spinach and basil and a small amount of olive oil so you get some of your veggie intake for the day.  These little goodies are great for an appetizer too.  Especially when your husband is hungry and you’re trying to make dinner.  Try them they are super delicious….and enjoy!

 

Chicken Pesto Bites in Parmesan Cracker Cups

For Parmesan Cracker Cups:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
• ½ tsp Dried Basil or Italian Herb Mix
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/3 cup buttermilk

Pesto:

• 3 cups Fresh Spinach
• ½ cup loosely packed fresh Basil
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

For Chicken Mix:

• 1 ½ cup Chicken, cooked and cubed
• ¼ cup Cherry Tomatoes, diced
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

 

For Cracker Cup:

Preheat oven to 375.  In a medium bowl, stir together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, pepper and dried basil (or Italian seasoning).  Use a pastry blender to cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in shredded parmesan cheese and garlic.  Make a well in the center of flour mixture.  Add buttermilk.  Using a fork, stir until mixture can be shaped into a ball.  If dough is dry and not shaping into a ball add slightly more buttermilk.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead until dough is almost smooth.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each portion into a 12×9 inch rectangle.  Cut rectangles into 3-inch squares.  Prick squares well with a fork.  Coat the outside bottoms of a 1 ¾” muffin cup bottoms, making sure edges of squares don’t overlap.  Place inverted muffin pan on a baking sheet.

Bake about 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Keep on pan and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Remove cracker cups from muffin pan and continue to cool on wire rack.

For Pesto:

Combine spinach, basil, parmesan cheese and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until mixture is at a sauce.

Chicken Mix:

Add cubed chicken, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Add sauce to the chicken mixture and toss well.  You may not need all the pesto sauce.  I had about ½ cup leftover.  It depends on how much pesto you prefer.

Pumpkin Bread

 

Ok, I know two pumpkin recipes in a one week.  I couldn’t help it, not only did I have pumpkin left-over from the pumpkin pancakes but I was craving pumpkin bread.  This pumpkin bread recipe is not like your traditional recipe.  It’s more of a healthier version that doesn’t use the extra oil, white sugar and white flour that most recipes call for.  However, by doing this I didn’t want to lose flavor and moisture.  My requirements for bread and muffins is that they have to be moist.  I really don’t like dry breads and muffins.  So for this recipe I used white whole wheat flour, reduced the oil and replaced it with unsweetened applesauce, and used a banana to add sweetness to the bread which allowed me to reduce the sugar.  The end results are delicious!  Not only does it make your house smell like fall, but it taste wonderful.  My husband couldn’t believe that it was healthy too.  Of course this meant he thought he could eat more.  Enjoy and…Happy Fall!

Healthy Pumpkin Bread

• 2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour (can also use whole wheat)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cloves
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup Canola Oil
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed (I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 sucanat)
• 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
• ½ cup ripe banana (about 1 medium), mashed
• ¾ cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix together the unsweetened applesauce, oil, brown sugar and maple syrup until blended.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Mix in vanilla, pumpkin and mashed banana.  Add dry ingredients mixing until evenly moistened.  If using nuts, stir into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.  Remove the bread from oven and place it on a rack to cool for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, run a table knife around the edges of the pan to make sure edges aren’t sticking, turn out of pan and onto the wire rack to continue to cool.  Cool completely before slicing.

French Toast Casserole

 

While I was pregnant with the twins I spent most of the time hating food.  Nothing tasted good and rarely did everything stay in my stomach after eating…I know that shouldn’t be mentioned on a food blog.  However, when it came to this French Toast Casserole I couldn’t get enough of it.  My mom made it for me on one of her visits down to visit and then for several weeks after that I made it all the time.  I would have it for breakfast and dessert (and sometimes for lunch or dinner).  Even after the girls arrived I still found myself craving this delicious treat.  I have made this on several occasions and each time it never fails that someone wants the recipe.  What’s best about this is most of the preparing is done the night before.  In the morning all you have to do is heat the oven up and prepare the topping, and 40 minutes later you have a breakfast everyone will love!  Enjoy!

French Toast Casserole

• 1 loaf Whole Wheat French Bread, Cubed (you can use a regular French loaf too)
• 6 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 ½ cups half and half
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
• ¼ tsp Cinnamon

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Fill baking dish with the bread cubes so that the dish is completely covered to the top.  In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, half & half, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Pour mixture over bread.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning, heat oven to 350.

Topping:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp dark corn syrup
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Mix all ingredients together and pour over the top of the bread mixture making sure most of the bread has some of the topping.

Bake until puffed and golden, about 40 minutes.  Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.