Healthy French Toast... YUM!

French toast is a staple breakfast in my house. My 2 daughters just love it! I have swapped out any regular/unhealthy/refined/dairy for all really healthy stuff! I usually don't measure unless I am baking, but for this recipe, I used measuring utensils for once!

Healthy French Toast:

12 slices sprouted grain bread (Cybro's)
6 organic eggs (Organic Valley)
3/4 Coconut milk (SO Delicious, vanilla)
1 tsp. vanilla (Trader Joe's Bourbon Vanilla)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
sea salt
Coconut oil
Earth Balance/ Smart Balance
100% Pure Maple Syrup (Klebenow's Sugar Bush)

Heat pan or griddle, and coat well with coconut oil. (Or other cold pressed oil.) Mix eggs and coconut milk (or other nondairy milk) blend well. Add cinnamon, vanilla, and pinch of sea salt, blend well.
Dip each piece of bread into mixture, and turn over so both sides are well coated. Place on heated pan or griddle, no more than medium heat, for a few mintues each side, or until golden brown. Top with buttery spread and syrup. Enjoy!

* Left overs can be put in the fridge, and toasted in the toaster when needed!

* I like to leave out a small amount of the Earth Balance and syrup overnight when I know I will use it in the morning. So it is room temp, and won't cool the french toast when used. Or, you can make it really special, and warm them on the stove before serving!

INGREDIENTS:

Eggs: Organic eggs, which is all I use. The expense is more than worth it. Eggs are a very healthy food, despite misinformation about cholesterol. I would serve some form of eggs daily, but I stick to every other, to help prevent an allergy to them. Organic eggs are void of all of the bad stuff in regular eggs, i.e. pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, animal feed, and so on. A regular egg is a chemical cocktail- and the lower price tag, has a huge price tag for your health. You and your family are worth using organic.

Coconut Milk: There are many options on the market now for nondairy milks. It is a dream come true! 11 years ago, the selection was small, and only available at Health Food stores. Despite what we all have been taught, dairy is not healthy for the human body. Most humans are allergic/sensitive to dairy, and at the very least, milk causes inflammation in every human.

Coconut milk is one of the newest options at the store. I am thrilled! This is truly the healthiest of all 'milks' available! Coconut milk has medium chained fatty acids that are so important. Our bodies use this fat as a preferred source of energy. Two of the primary medium chained fatty acids are lauric and capric acids, that are known to support the immune system, as well as being anti-viral and anti-fungal, and super nutritious in it's properites!

Sprouted grain bread: Sprouted grain breads are a flourless, super nutritious bread, that is easily digested. It is more like having a vegetable than a 'bread'! The grains are 'sprouted' instead of refined, which removes all that is healthy about the grain. The grain is treated like a seed, sprouted, then made into a nutritious bread! All of the enzymes and nutrients stay in tact.

Vanilla Extract: Use a high quality vanilla, that is natural, and void of corn syrup.

Coconut oil: This is my preferred oil for frying with. I use this oil in the pan for cooking the french toast. It is an easy way to add this important fat to the diet. It has a very high smoke point, which makes is great for frying. (However, with all frying, you should never go higher than a medium heat. As not to denature whatever oil you are using, and to preserve more nutrients in the food you are cooking.) Coconut oil doesn't oxidize during cooking like most oils. Coconut oil is rich in the fatty acids that I mentioned earlier in coconut milk, only much more of these essential fats!

Earth Balance: This is a buttery, dairy free spread. I use this in lieu of butter to spread on top of the warm french toast. It is an excellent source of ALA Omega 3 fatty acid, and has no trans fat! What is also important here, is that it is made with COLD-PRESSED oils. Which means they are not chemically processed. Today I used Earth Balance-soy free. Usually I use Organic Smart Balance. Both made by the same company.

Pure Maple Syrup: I always use 100% pure maple syrup. The so-called syrups on the market, and nothing more than corn syrup and artificial flavoring. Corn syrup is very dangerous to your health for many reasons, is a cheap, chemically processed sweetener, that is worse for you then sugar. Artificial flavors are proven to be unhealthy in so many ways. Maple syrup is a natural sugar, that we use sparingly.


Happy Cooking!
Yours in health,
Natalie