Dairy Free Betty – Stuffed French Toast

Editor’s Note: Jessica McRoberts is back on site with a tasty and creative recipe for French toast that includes wheat-free and egg-free suggestions. Simply delicious. Here she is:

You know those mornings when you wake up and it’s the perfect morning? You wake up from a restful sleep to the sun peeking through the blinds, and of course the birds are chirping because it’s just one of those mornings. It’s also one of those days that you get to stay in your Pj’s just a little too long, let the kids watch a few extra Saturday morning cartoons and you have enough time to make the perfect cup of coffee or tea.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be made just yet, so you take your time and enjoy your perfect morning. Maybe you even get a chance to head down to the local farmers market (alone!) to pick up ingredients for breakfast.

After just enough “you” time, you hear the rustlings of loved ones and realize that your tummy is starting to grumble. You know you want to make breakfast special because it’s just one of those mornings.

I had one of these mornings last weekend. It was perfect. I always get up earlier than Dave and our nutty dog Lance, but this morning just felt special. I woke up and it was a beautiful morning. I made myself a steaming soy chai, checked my emails and caught up on some guilty pleasure of watching reality TV. When I finally heard my boys stiring, I knew that I wanted to make a breakfast fit for breakfast in bed.

My hubby-to-be and I have different tastes when it comes to breakfast. I like my breakfast jam packed with as much as possible, and he prefers his simple. So, I made His and Hers stuffed French toast and even got fancy cutting them differently.

Hers was loaded with almond butter, bananas, cinnamon, macca powder and about a tablespoon of chia seeds. When it was done cooking, I drizzled on warm maple syrup and added a sprinkle of icing sugar and some chopped strawberries.

His was loaded with peanut butter and homemade raspberry jam. I cut it in half, sprinkled it with icing sugar and added a few sliced strawberries to add a little extra love. It was simple, but perfect. I heard lots of mmmmmming as he devoured his special breakfast with a cup of coffee spiced with cinnamon.

This is the perfect recipe for that type of morning. It is very easy and very quick. You can also make different flavors to keep of all those taste buds happy.

Stuffed French Toast

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 slices per person of your favorite bread (rice bread or spelt bread work for a wheat-free option),

- 2 eggs per 6 pieces of bread (for an egg-free recipe substitute 1 whole banana and blend in food processor with milk, cinnamon and vanilla),

- ½ cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk),

- 1 tsp of vanilla, and a

- dash of cinnamon – optional.

- For the insides it’s time to get creative. Some options are: nut butter and jam, peanut butter and banana, goat cheese and jam, ham and cheese or cream cheese and pie filling like canned pumpkin with pumpkin pie spice.

PREPERATION:

- Preheat the oven to keep those finished French toasts warm.

- Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl that will fit the bread.

- Add your ingredients of choice to one slice of bread and then place the second piece of bread on top (like a sandwich).

- Soak bread (with fillings) in egg, cinnamon and vanilla mixture, making sure to soak all sides of the bread and the ends too.

- Place bread in a hot pan and cook until browned on all sides.

- Put finished French toast in the oven until all are finished.

- When you are ready, slice the French toast in half and sprinkle with powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup or fresh fruit.

A few kid friendly ideas:

- Pull out a whole bunch of ingredients and let the kids to create their own fillings.
- Cut French toast with fun cookie cutters after cooking.
- Cut French toast into “fingers” and serve with a maple syrup dipping sauce.

Your taste buds will dance and all your favorite tummies will be full and satisfied. It will truly feel like a special morning. I hope your perfect morning turns into a perfect day with all the many exciting adventures that you have planned.

Tags: breakfast, Comox Valley, family meals, food, french toast, Jessica McRoberts, meals, Our Big Earth Media Co., recipe, stuffed french toast, Vancouver Island

Category: EAT LOCAL