Peanut Butter Banana Stuffed French Toast

 

When I first met my hubby, I remember he used to put peanut butter on his French toast.  I thought he was insane.  I was a French toast "purist" and believed that simple French toast could never be improved upon; it was perfect just the way it was!  Fast forward years and years (and maybe even a few more years) later, and I finally tried a classic stuffed French toast (the kind with cream cheese).  I thought I would hate it, but it was actually quite good.  Then one day I remembered my hubby's love of peanut butter smeared on French toast.  That's when I came up with the peanut butter stuffed French toast.  In this version I use banana, but it's good with other fruits as well.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Texas toast (or other thick bread)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 egg
• 1/8 cup milk
• 1/2 tablespoon syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pan Insert to Use: Base Unit

Servings: 1

Directions:
1. Preheat grill. If using the Xpress Platinum, preheat at setting 2.
2. Spritz pan with non-stick spray.
3. Spread each piece of Texas toast with 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter.  Place banana slices on one of the pieces of bread.

4. Assemble "sandwich" and set aside.
5. Mix together egg, milk, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl; dip "sandwich" into mixture and place in the grill.

6. Close lid and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until browned.  If your bread is too thin, you may need to flip and add another 3-4 minutes of cooking time.
7.  Serve with additional syrup.

Variations:
Instead of using banana, try this recipe with sliced strawberries or thin apple slices.

Blueberry Breakfast Sandwich

Blueberries are incredibly good for you.  Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of plain ol' blueberries, and I need to jazz them up if I'm going to eat them.  I enjoy them in muffins, pancakes, waffles, and in this awesome breakfast sandwich!  I make this sandwich with strawberry cream cheese, but you could easily substitute cinnamon cream cheese - or even plain cream cheese!  Because this sandwich is so "pretty" in its coloring, it's easy to get my little girl to eat it as well.  ;)   I used frozen blueberries for this recipe, but fresh would probably be just as delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Texas toast (or other thick bread)
• 2 wedges strawberry cream cheese (like the kind by Laughing Cow)
• 1/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Pan Insert to Use:  Base Unit

Servings:  1

Directions:
1. Preheat grill. If using the Xpress Platinum, preheat at setting 2.
2. Spritz pan with non-stick spray.
3. If blueberries are frozen, thaw them in the microwave.
4. Spread each slice of Texas toast with 1 wedge of strawberry cream cheese.
5. Place blueberries on 1 slice of bread and close sandwich.

6. Spread butter/margarine on the outside of the sandwich - about 1 tablespoon per side.

7. Place in grill and close cover.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, cook other side for 2-3 minutes.
8. Let cool slightly before eating - the cream cheese will be HOT!

Bacon Stuffed French Toast

We love French toast in this house because it's so versatile.  You can bake it, fry it, stuff it, serve it with flavored syrups or topped with fruit, et cetera.  No matter how I make it, it has to be served with bacon (the hubby loves bacon).  The only problem I have with bacon is the mess it makes.  Whether on the stove top, in the microwave, or in the oven, bacon grease will get splattered and will need to be cleaned.  Needless to say, I love it when I can find ways to use pre-cooked bacon in lieu of cooking my own bacon.  Not only does it save me a mess, it saves me cooking time as well.  So, here is one of my many recipes that uses pre-cooked, crumbled bacon (not to be confused with bacon bits or bacon flavored chips...blech).  This stuff is real bacon.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Texas toast (or other thick bread)
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 tablespoon syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Pan Insert to Use:  Base Unit

Servings: 1

Directions:
1.  Spray grill with non-stick spray and preheat.
2.  Spread each piece of Texas toast with 1/2 tablespoon of the softened cream cheese.
3.  Place bacon on 1 slice of bread, and place other slice of bread cream-cheese-side-down on top (essentially making a cream cheese and bacon sandwich).

4.  Mix together egg, milk, syrup, and cinnamon in a bowl; dip "sandwich" into mixture and place on the grill.

5.  Close lid and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until beautifully browned.  If your bread is too thin, you may need to flip and add another 3-4 minutes of cooking time.
6.  Serve with additional syrup.

Variations:
Instead of using bacon, try crumbled sausage or Canadian bacon.

Cranberry-Oatmeal Scones

I'm not a huge fan of cranberry (despite the awesome benefits it has on the bladder), but my husband loves the stuff.  He buys those little snack packs of craisins (dried up cranberries, in case you hadn't heard) and eats them plain out of the pack.  *Shudders*  Anywho, I made these cranberry-oatmeal scones originally for him.  I tried one (for scientific purposes, of course), and I have to admit... even for non-cranberry lovers, these little scones are pretty darn tasty.  In fact, I liked them so much, I may have had a second one...

Ingredients:

• 1 snack pack of craisins, finely chopped (1 oz size)
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 2 tablepoons nonfat dry milk
• 2 teaspoons dried egg white powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pan Insert to Use:  Quarter Pan (or Divider Pan*)

Servings:  8

Directions:
1.  Spray quarter pan with non-stick cooking spray, place in grill, and preheat.
2.  Mix together all dry ingredients: craisins, flour, sugar, oats, dry milk, egg white powder, and baking powder.
3.  Add melted butter and water to dry mixture; mix well.
4.  Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a seperate small bowl.
5.  Spoon batter into wells (not quite filling the wells, as these scones will rise slightly).
6.  Sprinkle batter generously with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.
7.  Close lid and cook for 8-10 minutes; repeat with remaining batter until all batter is used up.
8.  Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

*If you do not have a Quarter Pan and you decide to use the Divider Pan instead, please keep in mind that the serving quantity and the cooking times will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Oatmeal Pear Crisp

My grandmother used to say that the reason she was so healthy was because she ate a bowl of oatmeal every morning.  She lived 97 years.  So, there must be some truth in the oatmeal thing.  Unfortunately for me, I'm not a huge fan of "traditional" oatmeal.  Needless to say, when I figure out new ways to eat oatmeal, I get really excited.  Today's recipe is one that uses oatmeal in your dessert.  Or, if you can tolerate super-sweet meals in the morning, it could work as a breakfast as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 snack pack of diced pears (4 oz size), drained well
• 1 tablespoon salted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Pan Insert to Use:  Divider Pan

Servings:  1

Directions:
1.  Spray one well with non-stick cooking spray; preheat grill.
2.  Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl: oats, sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon.
3.  Stir in the melted butter and pears.
4.  Spoon mixture into sprayed well and cook for about 5 minutes.
5.  Slide out of pan, into a bowl.  Let cool a minute or two before eating.

Dippy Eggs with Toast

When I was a kid, one of my favorites breakfasts was "Dippy Eggs."  They were called this because I liked to dip my toast into the egg yolk.  Every time I was home sick from school, my mom (or dad) would ask, "Would you like some dippy eggs?"  Every weekend morning they would ask, "Would you like some dippy eggs?"  I can never recall my answer being "no."  No one could make a dippy egg quite like my parents.  Now that I have my own little girl, I have had to learn how to make my own dippy eggs... and this little indoor grill is the easiest and fastest way to get it done.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon margarine, for frying
• salt and pepper, to season
• 2 slices bread
• butter or margarine (for toast)

Pan Insert to Use: Divider Pan

Servings: 1-2

Directions:
1.  Put 1/2 teaspoon of margarine into each well and let grill preheat.
2.  Toast bread while unit is preheating.
3.  Crack one egg into each well and close lid; cook for 2-4 minutes.
4.  Butter toast while eggs are frying.
5.  When eggs are fully cooked to desired doneness, remove them from the pan by simply sliding them out onto a plate.
6.  Season eggs with salt and pepper; serve with buttered toast.