Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
~by Nikki
Anyone who ever saw the very first Baltimore episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” knows about the wonderful confection that is “Cap’n Crunch French Toast.”
It’s served at the Blue Moon Café and it is an experience (meaning, one I’m glad I got to have before my surgery!). I make a variation of this breakfast for my children on special occasions and I always look at them longingly as they eat it…wishing I had a slice for myself.
In times like this there is only really one thing to do: play with your food!
Captain Nik’s French Toast
Ingredients:
1 slice of whole wheat bread (I used P-28 protein bread. If you don’t like or have it, any good 100% whole wheat bread will do but make sure it’s a brand with larger slices, like Arnold)
¼ c. Fiber One original cereal, crushed into crumbs
1 tbsp butterscotch pudding mix
1 tbsp peanut flour (or PB2)
½ + 1 whole tbsp no-calorie sweetener (I used Splenda)
1 tbsp reduced fat butter spread (I used Blue Bonnet Light)
A dash of cinnamon
¼ c. liquid egg substitute
2 tbsp sugar-free pancake syrup
Non-stick cooking spray
(Before going into the directions, I’d like to acknowledge that yes…just days ago I said I don’t particularly like P-28 bread. Well the fact that I paid for it means that I do have to eat it! So I found a way to like it. I find I don’t mind it if it is heavily toasted or cooked in a pan some way. As just a sandwich bread…no…can’t do it. Moving on…)
Directions:
Slice your bread into whatever size is feasible to you (I can eat one of those slices shown above at 3 years out just to give you an idea).
On a plate or in a bowl, combine your cereal crumbs, pudding mix, peanut flour and sweetner (the full tablespoon portion) well. In another bowl combine the egg substitute with the half portion of sweetener. (Why is this necessary? My first few batches came out slightly salty for some reason which, by the way, was not entirely unpleasing once I added syrup. But to get the “Cap’n Crunch” effect, you need a bit more sweetness. The only way I seemed able to achieve that was by adding Splenda to BOTH the egg and the dredging mixture).
Set up a dredging station with a small bowl of liquid egg substitute and the crumb mixture. Dip both sides of bread in egg, then in the crumb mixture and then repeat.
Spray a skillet with non-stick cooking spray and set over a medium flame until it gets hot (do a water drop test) and THEN add your tablespoon of butter spread (yes…do both).
Pan fry your bread about 3 minutes on each side or until each side is browned and crispy.
Transfer to a plate and top any way you like (you probably won’t be able to eat a whole slice if using P-28 bread. If you aren’t, you might think about only eating half or even a quarter so that you can get in an egg or some other protein heavy food).
That looks enormous to me (I have a very accommodating pouch– even a little too accommodating at times– but even so!), but I am gonna give it a try. I'll have the first half for breakfast and the second half for lunch.
It is enormous! That's why I was quick to point out that at 3 years out I could only eat half of it! The other half is happily sitting in my freezer waiting for me to crave French toast again! How far out are you? Bread is something that can be tricky with newer folks and especially protein bread.
Also, I would not eat the 2nd half for lunch. That's a lot of bread for one day. My NUT is always quick to tell me that if you have a treat, one of the best things you can do is to NOT eat it as different meals in the same day. Save the rest for another day!
I am almost 8 months out. So I think I will take your advice and freeze the second half!
…your "NUT"?