For many, a lavish brunch is just as much a part of the Easter celebration as going to church and hunting for eggs. With the help of Victoria from This Girl's Gotta Eat, we're taking a classic brunch favorite, French toast, and transforming it into something that not only tastes good, but is good for you. How? By using Orlando's True Grains® Purple Wheat Raisin Bread. This bread was formulated with the Cleveland Clinic and meets Go! Healthy™ criteria:
• Less than 4 grams of Saturated Fat
• Less than 4 grams of Added Sugar
• Less than 600 mg of Sodium
• No Trans Fat
• 100% Whole Grain
The bread is made with purple wheat, a grain native to East Africa, currently cultivated in North America. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, purple foods contain important nutrients called anthocyanins, which are responsible for the purple, blue, and red colors of some fruits, vegetables, cereal grains, and flowers. As an antioxidant, anthocyanins are being studied for their efficacy in fighting cancer, heart disease, and age-related conditions in the brain.
The following serves 2 (compliments of This Girl’s Gotta Eat):
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- 4-6 slices Orlando True Grains Purple Wheat Raisin Bread
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- Honey
- Chopped nuts, whatever you have (almonds, pecans, walnuts)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°.
Whisk egg whites, almond milk, vanilla, a dusting of cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a shallow dish. Dip bread slices in the mixture until well coated. Since the bread is a bit more delicate, be sure not to over soak it.
Cook dipped bread in a large skillet sprayed liberally with non-stick spray over medium heat until browned on both sides. Transfer cooked bread to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
In the same skillet sprayed with a little more non-stick spray, cook banana slices until browned.
While the bananas are cooking, mix Greek yogurt with a dusting of cinnamon, splash of vanilla extract and a little honey.
To serve, build a napoleon on two plates each with a layer of french toast, dollop of spiced yogurt topped with some caramelized bananas, then repeat layering…french toast, yogurt, bananas. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped nuts.