So, yesterday was our 22nd wedding anniversary. When that fact sank in, we looked at each other and said – simultaneously – “Wow. And we haven’t killed each other, yet.” See? That’s why we’re married. I thought the occasion called for something a little special, and since I’d made some challah bread in a loaf-shape a couple of days before, French Toast came to mind. Not just any french toast, mind you – Stuffed French Toast. I think even the most mundane foods seem extra-special when you stuff them, no?
Stuffed French Toast

For the filling:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 heaping tablespoons jam (I used my own Freakin’ Flamingo Strawberry Daiquiri Jam, but any
flavor will do)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend everything together in a small bowl with an electric mixer, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should be stiff enough to make mounds and not be runny at all. Set aside.

For the French Toast:

One 1 lb. loaf Challah bread (slightly stale)

3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. sugar (I used natural cane sugar, but regular white will do)
pinch of salt

Butter for frying

Slice the bread into 1 1/2-inch slices. You should get 8 – 10 slices. Scoop out the middles with your fingers, making sure not to go all the way through to the other side. Match up your bread slices so that you have matched up pairs of similar size with “pockets” facing each other.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well-blended. Add the milk, vanilla, sugar, and salt, and whisk well.

To assemble:

Spoon the cream cheese/jam mixture into the pocket of one of the challah slices (a couple of heaping tablespoonsful). The mound of filling should actually come above the top of the pocket. Cover with the second slice of bread, so that the pocket of the second slice fits over the first. Press together gently, but firmly. They should stick together.

Melt some butter in a large frying pan (I prefer non-stick) over medium heat.

Place the sandwich into the egg mixture and allow to soak for about a minute. (These are thick slices and take a little extra time) Turn and soak the other side. Remove the sandwich from the bowl, allow some of the excess liquid to drip off, and place into the now hot frying pan. Fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until GBD (golden brown & delicious). You can prepare several at a time.

I like to dust them with powdered sugar and finish with a little extra jam on top.

So, here’s to another 22 years together! If we don’t kill each other, first….. Nah.

I came home late from work the other night, and even though the temptation was great to order in pizza or take out Chinese, I resisted. I had just baked these light and fluffy burger rolls with the Soft Whole Wheat Bread dough recipe from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, and was really eager to try them. So, in the interest of time – I was so hungry I could have chewed the arm off the couch – I grabbed some ground beef and some of my favorite cheats, and had supper on the table in literally, fifteen minutes! That’s less time than you can get a pizza – or even decide on your toppings!

This quickie meal blends the gentle heat of a favorite chili, the fun of a Sloppy Joe, and the goodness of whole wheat. By the way, this would make a great addition to your Super Bowl menu, too! Ready? Start your stopwatches:

Black Bean Chili Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 Tbs corn oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 16 oz jar Oxford Falls® Fried Green Tomato Salsa (or any tomatillo-based salsa)
1 15.5 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
8 whole wheat or whole grain hamburger buns (toasted, if you like)

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef. Add the jar of tomatillo salsa, stir, bring up to a simmer. Add the black beans and the diced tomatoes, including its liquid. Allow to simmer until most of the liquid has cooked off, about 5 minutes.

Serve over sliced burger buns. Serves 8.

Told you it was a cheat. A tasty, even pretty healthy cheat, at that. Want to make it even healthier? Change out the ground beef for ground turkey, or even ground chicken.

And those burger buns? They sprang from this edition of the HBin5 Challenge:

To review, Michelle over at Big Black Dog, organized a group to bake from the book by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

The current challenge is to bake 3 different things using the Soft Whole Wheat Bread Recipe: a loaf of bread, hamburger or hotdog rolls, and Apple Strudel Bread.

First, the straight-up sandwich loaf:

This is actually the second loaf I made. The first one was made with the original recipe from HBin5, and was a great hit. So much so, that the loaf was eaten before I could photograph it! This is an excellent sandwich loaf – soft, tight texture, and holds together, even sliced very thin. But I couldn’t help but wonder if I couldn’t make it even healthier for my borderline-diabetic husband.

In this version, I substituted light agave nectar for the honey as the sweetener, and substituted an 8 ounce carton of Egg Beaters (roughly the equivalent of 4 eggs) for the 5 eggs called for in the recipe. I also added 1/4 cup of flax seed meal, and to lighten it up a bit more, substituted white whole wheat flour for half of the whole wheat flour. While MJ detected only the slightest difference in taste from the original, it wasn’t anything pronounced, and I was instructed, “Don’t lose this recipe!” The highest praise.

Next up, were the burger buns you met at the top of this post. I used my kitchen scale to make these buns all the same size. They baked up soft, beautifully textured, yet sturdy. Delicious!

Last, but not least, is the Apple Strudel Bread. The same whole wheat bread dough is rolled out and rolled up with chopped apple, walnut, and (in mine) dried blueberries instead of raisins, all mixed with raw sugar and cinnamon. Yum.

This was perfect for the Jewish holiday, Tu B’Shevat, essentially our Arbor Day. As the 3 of you regular readers should know by now, a Jewish holiday doesn’t exist that doesn’t have certain food traditions attached to it and this is no exception. Traditionally, foods that contain tree fruit and nuts are served on Tu B’Shevat, and the apples and walnuts in this, definitely qualify.

Check out the other participants in the HBin5 Bread Braid to see what everyone else came up with!

Come back Tuesday for my first sponsored giveaway! Here’s your hint: Whether you’re a man or a woman, gourmet cook or home cook, you need this, and I’m betting most of you don’t have one!