Strawberries—the Food of Love

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits, and why not, they’re full of goodness. A cup of whole strawberries contains 141% DVA of vitamin C, and 20% DVA of folic acid. They’re good for what ales you—and they’re even better sliced and sprinkled with sugar—or dipped in chocolate, of course—but strawberry pie always makes my mouth water.

I clipped this recipe out of the American Profile magazine several months ago, and I really like it. Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t change it just a little. Here’s my version:

Fresh Strawberry French Toast

16 slices of French bread—for this I especially like the kind that’s a pre-sliced square loaf (fits in the pan better), but it’s good with the regular slice-it-yourself variety as well.
1 8-oz package low-cal cream cheese, softened
1/3 C. plus ¼ C. sugar, divided
1 C. no-sugar-added strawberry spread, divided
7 eggs
2 C. 2% milk
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ C. coarsely ground pecans
1 quart ripe strawberries, sliced
Frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed (optional)

1. Lightly coat a glass 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Arrange half the bread in a single layer, trimming to fit as needed.
3. Combine cream cheese, 1/3 C sugar, and ¼ C fruit spread; beat until smooth. Spread over bread in pan. Top with remaining bread.
4. Combine eggs and milk; mix well. Pour over bread. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. Remove pan from refrigerator 20 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375.
6. Combine ¼ C sugar, cinnamon and pecans; sprinkle evenly over top. Cover pan with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes, until puffy and golden brown on the sides. Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting.
7. 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 desired. Serves 12. Happy Eating!

NOTE: After the 45 min on 375, mine is always golden and puffy. I remove the cover and cook an extra 5 minutes at most—it wouldn’t be nearly as good burnt.