Fighting Fear with Blueberry French Toast

18 years – I remember when 9-11 happened.  My children were young and in school and my husband was traveling for business.  After the children were in bed that night I felt so helpless – so emotionally exhausted yet I knew I was not ready for sleep.  Turning on the TV would just be listening to words – seeing images I had repeatedly absorbed throughout the day.  I wanted to protect my children from a world that these unspeakable things could happen knowing deep in my heart there are only so many things a mother has control of.  So the question came to my mind – “What do you have control over?”  “How can you love your children in this time of uncertainty?”  For me – it was giving them something they enjoyed – something that had a proven track record of happiness.  For me – this would be accomplished in my kitchen.  And so I set about pulling the ingredients out on my counter for Blueberry French Toast – a lovely recipe that sits in refrigerator overnight and is baked in the oven.  In the past the smell of this baking would bring huge smiles to little faces.  I was just hoping that it would remind us that there have been happy times in the past and in faith and hope we could look forward to good times in the future.  So I cut the french bread in small pieces and mixed up the eggs and milk.  Each task was a balm to my soul. I took each piece of bread and dipped it into the wet mixture and placed it in the greased pan.  Perhaps this is how we would heal – one deliberate task of love at a time.  That recipe encouraged me to move at a time where it would be so easy to get stuck in front of our tvs, computers, newspapers for the next new tidbit of a horrific event. Our country doesn’t need people who sit – no, our country needs people who will reach out and start moving with loving actions one person at a time.

Blueberry French Toast
A wonderful breakfast that can be prepped the night before and popped into the oven the next morning.
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Ingredients
  1. 1 Loaf of french bread, sliced in 1/2 inch sliced
  2. 2 Eggs
  3. 1 3/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or Milk of your Choice
  4. 2 Tbsp Sugar or sweetener of choice
  5. 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  6. 1 1/2 cup Frozen Blueberries
  7. Crumb Mixture
  8. White Spelt Flour or Flour of your Choice
  9. Brown Sugar
  10. Earth Balance or Butter, chilled
Instructions
  1. Prepare a 8 X 8 square pan by spraying lighting with PAM
  2. If using flax "egg" see * and mix accordingly
  3. In medium bowl mix milk, sugar, vanilla, egg, and fruit spread until combined
  4. Take each slice of bread and dip both sides into milk mixture. Place in pan until the bottom is covered with a layer of bread.
  5. Spoon 3 Tbsp of milk mixture over bread
  6. Place sliced apples on top
  7. Repeat with another layer of dipped bread
  8. Using a spatual press down on top to pack down
  9. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 6-8 hours in fridge.
  10. Mix ingredients for crumb mixture in a small blender or food processor.
  11. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  12. Remove from refrigerator
  13. Spread blueberries on top
  14. Spread crumb mixture of top
  15. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
  16. Can be eaten out of the oven but it let cool for 15 minutes before trying to cut. It's amazing how much better this cuts if it can cool, sit in refrigerator for several hours and then reheated or served cold as a bread pudding.
  17. May be topped with powdered sugar, whipped soy or dairy cream.
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
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Apple-Blueberry Steel Oats

Blueberry Oats

This weekend brought rain to Arizona and gave me a yearning for warm oatmeal.  My personal favorite is steel oats.   They take a little more time but I like the chewy nutty texture.  Oats are generally made with water but I had the juicer going and decided to try cooking the oats in fresh apple juice.  Now you don’t need to juice your own apples but next time you make oats try changing out your water with apple juice.  It brings a natural  sweetness into your breakfast.  Note:  Apples are listed on the dirty dozen list because of the high amount of pesticides used in producing the fruit.  Always opt for organic apples or apple juice whenever possible.

Apple-Blueberry Steel Oats
A warm apple breakfast with blueberries which are full of antioxidants.
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Ingredients
  1. 2 cups of organic apple juice
  2. 1 cup of water
  3. 1 cup of steel oats
  4. 1 tsp cinnamon
  5. 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  6. 1/4 tsp tumeric
  7. Blueberries - fresh or frozen
  8. Fruit Spread - I used apricot
  9. Pecan pieces
  10. Milk - I used unsweetened almond
Instructions
  1. Heat liquids and spices in pan to a boil.
  2. Add steel oats and stir.
  3. Cover pan and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 18-20 minutes.
  4. Uncover. Most of the liquid should be gone. Stir.
To Serve
  1. Place 1/3 cup of blueberries in your serving bowl (if you use use frozen - place them in serving bowl before cooking the oats to defrost a bit)
  2. Place 1/4 of the cooked oats on top.
  3. Add a little milk to thin out oats.
  4. Place a generous tsp of fruit spread on top if additional sweetener is desired.
  5. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of pecan pieces.
Notes
  1. Leftover oats can be placed in individual storage containers and placed in refrigerator or freezer for later use.
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
 Years ago my aunt gave me a beautiful collection of tea cups.  I served my oats in one and found it made breakfast more of an event and helped me with portion control.

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Blueberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Recently I made my own blueberry vinegar and then created the dressing below.  Of course you don’t have to make your own vinegar to enjoy this fruity dressing.  There are many flavored vinegars on the market but just in case you want to try……

Blueberry Vinegar Recipe – Looking for a no oil dressing – use this vinegar with a squeeze of fresh lemon – delicious.

Blueberry Dressing

Blueberry Vinaigrette Dressing
A fruity flavored dressing.
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Ingredients
  1. 1/3 cup blueberry vinegar
  2. 2/3 cup olive oil
  3. 1 1/2 tsp honey
  4. 1/2 tsp salt
  5. 1/2 tsp pepper
  6. 1 tsp dijon mustard
  7. 1/4 lemon, juiced
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients into a mason jar or plastic container with a lid (make sure it's sealed tight) and combine well.
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
Looking for some salad ideas – Click Here

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