Cranberry Orange French Toast

Woke up early on this USA fall-back-one-hour, change-your-clocks morning and lay in bed thinking about French Toast. Not just any French Toast. Rather, something fresh and lively and fruity.

Three pounds of raw cranberries waiting in the freezer and calling to me. Okay, so what could I do with cranberries? And what else did I have on hand?

I knew there was small amount of Organic Blue Agave Maple Flavored Syrup left over from other recipes. Not as sweet as other maple syrups--real or artificial--but it would be just sweet enough to complement the tartness of the cranberries.

I also thought about the Nutritional Yeast in the cupboard. Also left over from other recipes. Nutritional Yeast is a vegetarian support formula and would be an interesting ingredient to mix in with the cranberries and syrup. It also inspired me to add popcorn kernels to my shopping list.


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What does popcorn have to do with Nutritional Yeast? Place some kernels in a lunch-size paper bag and place it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, cooking until it stops popping.

1. Pour popcorn into a large bowl.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast. Mix well.
3. Taste and add more nutritional yeast if needed.
4. Optional. Add salt and/or freshly ground pepper.

The result is popcorn that is buttery-tasting, healthy and low-cal.


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Wait, this entry is supposed to be about breakfast. And it is, really. Here’s what I created after I got out of bed...


CRANBERRY ORANGE FRENCH TOAST
(one serving)

1/4 cup raw cranberries
1-1/2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Organic Blue Agave Maple Flavored Syrup (or substitute your favorite)
2-3 drops orange extract
1 pinch (dried) orange zest
2 slices Pepperidge Farm Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat Bread (70 calories each)
1 egg
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoon water

1. Place cranberries and 1-1/2 T. water in microwavable bowl and cover with paper towel. Cook 1 minute on high setting, or until you hear cranberries ‘pop’.
2. Cool slightly, then stir in Agave maple syrup, orange extract and orange peel.
3. Mix egg, nutritional yeast and 1 tablespoon water in bowl just big enough to hold bread. Cover each slice with mixture and let sit 2-3 minutes to soak in.
4. Meantime, lightly grease or butter pan and heat at medium setting.
5. Place French toast in prepared hot pan and cook till both sides are well browned.
6. Dish up and top with cranberry orange syrup mixture.


Did you notice that I decided to mix the nutritional yeast into the egg mixture instead of the cranberries?

Some people prefer majorly thick slices of bread for their French Toast. The egg/nutritional yeast/water mix above will coat (and soak into) only one extra-thick slice, so double these ingredients for two slices