Fresh Strawberry French Toast

By Hklbrries

Using a no-sugar-added fruit spread instead of strawberry jam, and 2% reduced-fat milk instead of half-and-half turns this recipe from Carol Ann McClelland, of Somers, Conn., into a treat that doesn’t ruin the diet. The savings: 260 calories, 21 g fat and 145 mg cholesterol.
"Many of the recipes American Profile receives from readers are family favorites passed down from one generation to the next. Many were developed before healthful food products - such as low-fat sour cream, 2% reduced-fat or skim milk, lean cuts of deli meats, and turkey bacon - became available.

As a contributing photographer for American Profile, I prepare each recipe that appears in these pages, testing to make sure that measurements are correct, cooking times work and everything actually turns out the way that we say it will. This time, however, instead of just testing, I tinkered with some of my personal favorites, substituting healthful ingredients wherever possible.

Having recently lost almost 50 pounds, I am very conscious of the meals I prepare for my family. I'm not feeding my three kids rice cakes at every meal or asking them to give up their favorite foods; instead, I've made simple changes like using lower-fat substitutions in recipes and reducing sodium levels - changes like the ones incorporated in this "lightened up" breakfast. Try it. You'll see it's brimming with flavor."

Karry Hosford, Editor

Ingredients

• 16 slices day-old light wheat sandwich bread
• 1 (8-ounce) package fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 ⁄3 cup, plus ¼ cup, sugar, divided
• 1 cup no-sugar-added strawberry spread, divided
• 7 egg whites
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup coarsely ground pecans
• 1 quart ripe strawberries, sliced
• Frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed (optional)

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Arrange half the bread in a single layer in the pan, trimming to fit as needed.

Combine cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and ¼ cup fruit spread; beat until smooth. Spread over bread in pan. Top with remaining bread.

Combine egg whites, whole eggs and milk; mix well. Pour over bread. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove pan from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375 F.

Combine ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon and pecans; sprinkle evenly over top. Cover pan with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown on the sides. Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting.

Heat remaining fruit spread over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in strawberries. Serve berry mixture warm on the side. Garnish with whipped topping, if using.


Tips From Our Test Kitchen: This also works well with fresh blueberries and blueberry jam. For a large crowd, make both kinds of sauces, keeping them on the warming tray so guests can choose what they prefer. Have some maple syrup available, too, and pass whipped topping, if desired.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
210 calories,
2.5 g fat
40 mg cholesterol
11 g protein
40 g carbohydrates
2 g fiber
280 mg sodium