Peach French Toast Bake

I made this recipe a few years ago and remembered loving it. Last night, our friends Meredith and John made the hike out to the boonies to visit Wes and me. Wanting to make something special for breakfast, I remembered this recipe being very easy. The best part is that Ellie Krieger's claim to fame is her ability to create delicious but HEALTHY dishes - how often do those two things go hand and hand? Certainly not often enough!

This dish sits in the fridge over night, and the bread soaks up the sweetened egg mixture. I ventured away from Ellie's recipe a little bit using large slices of whole wheat bread since I wasn't able to find the right kind of french bread at the grocery store. I'm thinking that the french bread is a little bit thicker than regular whole wheat, so each piece soaks up a little bit more of the liquid. I was worried it would end up soupy, but it turned out just fine! Next time, I will let the bread overlap a little bit so that I can fit a few extra pieces in the casserole dish.

The recipe I'm posting below includes some changes to the original. If you want the original recipe, search "Peach French Toast Bake" on Food Network's site.

Ingredients: cooking spray, 6 large/thick slices of whole wheat bread, 4 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 cup low fat milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large bag of frozen peaches (enough to completely cover the top of a large baking dish), 1/2 lemon, juiced (approx. 1 1/2 tablespoons), 4 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: Spray a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bread slices in the baking pan. It's okay if they overlap a little. Whisk together the eggs, egg whites, milk and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan. In a medium bowl, toss peaches with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Scatter the peach slices evenly on top of the bread. Combine the remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. Serve this with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt and a little bit of maple syrup. - Enjoy! - Allison Y.