You blog like a girl

My Dad is the king of breakfast foods. Don’t let him make you dinner, that was all Mom (I need not remind you, Dad, of the Dad’s Gorp incident of ’82) but breakfast was his realm. Growing up, we had regular pancake, waffle or french toast breakfasts on the weekend. We all had a huge maple syrup-induced sugar buzz by 10 AM, and then a crash by 11 AM, resulting in afternoons spent napping off the crabbies. Nonetheless, these are some of my favorite foods to this day.

So this morning, cloudy and rainy outside, with a sore throat and a stiff back (knitting injury?) I wanted some comfort. I decided to make french toast, but I’m on Weight Watchers, so I need to watch the ingredients. And, I’m a little frou frou now. I like things like orange zest and pumpkin butter, which I bought recently at Trader Joes and I’ve been putting in lots of things. This is what I put together this morning:

Frou Frou French Toast

Makes two servings

2 large slices whole wheat sourdough bread, sliced in half (so you have 4 pieces total)

1/2 cup egg beaters (or two eggs, but it’s not so WW friendly, then)

1 tablespoon pumpkin butter

1 tsp orange zest

1 tsp lime juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

a bit of salt

1 packet stevia (or splenda, or pinch of sugar if you prefer)

1 tsp canola oil

In a low wide dish, mix the egg beaters, pumpkin butter, orange zest, lime juice, vanilla extract, salt, and stevia until well combined. Dip bread, both sides, and soak it in this mixture. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large griddle or pan, until it is shimmery. Place the soaked bread in the griddle, you should hear a sizzle if it’s hot enough, and brown both sides. Serve with a touch of maple syrup and some heart healthy margarine, a little fresh fruit on the side. Light and tasty.

Super duper key is an uber-tasty bread with a sturdy crust. My bias is sourdough makes the best french toast. The pumpkin butter is a little hint of flavor in this recipe. If you want more pumpkin flavor, crank it up to 2 or 3 tablespoons. And it could be any flavor, not just pumpkin. The key ingredients, in my opinion, are the orange zest and the vanilla. If you are keeping track, its 3 WW points per serving prior to maple syrup or margarine loading, if you choose egg beaters and no-calorie sweetener. And so far, no napping off the crabbies.