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Monday, March 21, 2011

Recipe for Blueberry and Goat's Cheese French Toast


You’ve probably had French Toast spread or stuffed with cream cheese.  Mmm Mmm good, right?  I wanted to give it a try using goat’s cheese instead.  The thought was it would be a bit tangy to cut some of the richness.  I also had some frozen blueberries that were defrosted and needed to be used and figured their tartness would fit in with the tanginess of the cheese. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher’s program, I received a loaf of Nature’s Pride newest all-natural bread, Hearty Wheat with Flax. 

It’s 100% whole wheat made with olive oil.  With 22 grams of whole grains, it’s a good source of fiber.  So Mr. ELEB and I gave it our tried and true tests.  Mr. ELEB just eats it plain, nothing on it so he can get a good sense of the taste.  I test with almond butter and all-fruit jam, because, well that’s just how I roll.  I don’t eat plain bread so I figure I won’t test it that way.


Mr. ELEB thought the bread was ok, “a bit sweet” and preferred my homemade or our normal whole wheat brand (for times when I don’t bake homemade).  I thought it was good and a bit more interesting from a texture standpoint than our normal brand.  To me, nothing beats homemade so I don’t think that is a fair comparison.

Nutritionally, one slice has 100 calories, 1.5 grams fat, 17 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber, 4 grams sugar and 5 grams protein compared to 90 calories, 1 gram fat, 17 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber, 3 grams sugar and 4 grams protein per slice for our usual. 

I like that the Nature’s Pride has flax seed in it but it is whole flax seed and my understanding is we are better able to benefit from the omega-3 fatty acids in ground flax.   None the less, it is tasty bread and certainly has a straightforward ingredient list.  There were a few unpronounceable ingredients on our normal brand (preservatives) and that is why I try to make homemade when I can. 

So, back to the French toast.  It turned out very nice.  I definitely like the goat’s cheese for a change.  It was rich without being cloying as I’ve sometimes felt cream cheese is when it’s warmed.  I used a lot of cinnamon because I love it but you can definitely dial it back if you’re not as big a fan.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Ingredients for 2 servings, each approximately 439 calories, 9.2 grams fat, 76 grams carbs, 6.3 grams fiber, 15.3 grams protein; 7 WW Points+

4 slices whole wheat bread (I used Nature’s Pride Hearty Wheat With Flax)
2 eggs
1/8 cup milk
2 tsp (or less) cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 oz goat’s cheese
2 tbsp frozen blueberries defrosted, plus more for serving
1 TBSP butter
Pure maple syrup for serving

Method:
Add the blueberries to the cheese and smash and mix with a fork until cheese turns purple and berries are broken into chunks. 

Beat the eggs and milk together and add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. 

Spread 2 slices of bread with the cheese mixture and top with 2 more slices of bread. 

Press together.  Melt butter over medium high heat.  Dip each sandwich into the egg mixture until well saturated on both sides.  Cook in butter until browned on both sides. 


Serve with a few blueberries and maple syrup.



What's your favorite French toast recipe?

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