The following is a guest post by Tess Masters, The Blender Girl – actor, presenter, lifestyle personality, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies book, The Perfect Blend, and The Detox Dynamo Cleanse. She and her easy healthy recipes have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Real Simple, Prevention, Clean Eating, the Today Show, and other media outlets. She is the global spokesperson for KitchenAid blenders and lives in Los Angeles.
This contest is now closed. In a few days the winners will be emailed directly.
For a fabulous family breakfast, brunch, dessert, or (dare I say it?) snack, you can’t beat this phenomenal French toast. My family and I have been battering up with this baby for years, and it is a huge hit with everyone we serve it to. People even say they prefer this healthier incantation of the classic comfort food to its original counterpart! I’ve received thousands of elated emails and messages on social media about this righteous recipe since I included it in my latest book The Perfect Blend, so I had to share it with you.
So simple, so delicious, so creamy, so crispy you may never blend your batter using dairy milk and eggs again. Yep! This terrific treasure is dairy free, egg free, and also gluten free, and it utilizes whole ingredients.
Now, before you grimace at the thought of using cardboard-like gluten-free sandwich bread (we all know how awful that can be), the brilliant batter in this recipe makes even the worst gluten-free bread full and fluffy! I use whole-grain gluten-free bread, but you could use regular whole-wheat bread as well. Just know that this recipe (ingredient ratios and cook times) has been calibrated for gluten-free bread. So, you may need more coconut oil when frying and will need to adjust the temperature of your stove top as well as the cook time.
But, resist the urge to use less coconut oil than what I’ve prescribed, otherwise, your bread won’t crisp up. I don’t know about you, but I love my French toast crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
This French toast is a fun, family-friendly recipe. I make it with my niece and nephew, and they love soaking the bread and preparing their toppings so they can get their serving juuust right. The caramelized bananas I’ve included in this recipe are always a hit, but this fried bread will get cozy with any fruit that takes your fancy. Try serving it with stewed or poached apples, pears, peaches, rhubarb, or some fresh berries.
If you want to make this recipe nut-free, use rice, soy, or hemp milk in the batter, and top it with coconut flakes instead of nuts. Bon appetit!
Blend More Than Smoothies
I use my blender to make all kinds of delicious recipes. I think it’s the greatest culinary tool we’ve been given since fire and spoons! So, I want to encourage you to use your blender beyond smoothies, soups, and cocktails. Your blender can make healthy fast food possible. Blending makes life easier, levels the playing field in the kitchen, and allows anybody to whip up nutrient-dense, tasty foods with limited skills and time.
While my books and website do contain a full repertoire of drinks, smoothies, and soups, you’ll find more than food to sip, glug, or scoop up with a spoon. My recipes are blender centered but by no means blender only. I favor blender-inspired dishes—appetizers, snacks, salads, desserts, and easy main dishes you can attack with your trusty knife and fork.
Giveaway: Blender Worth $630 + Cookbooks
To help get you excited about using your blender more, I’m giving away a KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series blender worth $629.99 and copies of all of my cookbooks! (Enter at the bottom of this post.)
This is why I love this blender more than anything else on the market:
- The most powerful blender to pulverize ingredients for silky smooth consistencies.
- 3 Adapti-Blend™ pre-programmed settings for smoothies, soups, and juices.
- Insulated jar that keeps the contents cool when you’re blending smoothies and juices.
- BPA-free container with soft-touch handle grip and asymmetric stainless steel blade.
- Speed dial that goes to 11 to take things beyond regular speeds to completely pulverize ingredients more quickly.
- Pulse switch for an extra boost of power at any speed.
This is the best blender I have ever used. And I own them all!
I can’t wait to see who wins. Good luck!
French Toast
Ingredients
French Toast
- 1 cup almond milk unsweetened
- 1 medium banana ripe
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds white or black
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 slices bread gluten-free
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
Caramelized Bananas
- 2 medium bananas thickly sliced on the diagonal
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- Pure maple syrup for serving
Toppings
- 2 tablespoons pecans or walnuts, crushed
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Set the oven to its lowest temperature or the “warm” setting.
- To make the French toast, pour the milk, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt into your blender and blast on high for about 30 seconds until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into a large shallow baking dish and let rest for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. In batches, place slices of the bread in the baking dish and let soak on one side for 8 to 10 seconds. Flip the slices and let soak for another 8 to 10 seconds, until evenly moistened.
- In a medium skillet (that fits two slices of bread) or on a large griddle (that holds all of the slices) over medium heat, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per two slices of bread. (Resist the urge to use less coconut oil or the bread won’t get crispy.) Add the bread and fry for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy on the edges; you may need to add more coconut oil after you flip the bread. If cooking in batches, transfer the French toast to a lined baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm and repeat to fry the remaining bread, adding more coconut oil to cook each batch.
- While the last pieces of toast are cooking, make the caramelized bananas. Combine the banana slices and the coconut sugar in a zip-lock bag, seal, and shake to coat evenly.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil, add the coated bananas, and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until nicely caramelized.
- Serve two slices of French toast on each plate, topped with one-quarter of the caramelized bananas, one-quarter of the crushed nut boosters, and one-quarter of the coconut booster. Pass maple syrup at the table.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Giveaway Details*
One winner will receive:
- One (1) KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series blender valued at $629.99 (Color subject to availability)
- One copy of each of the three cookbooks in The Blender Girl series: The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend.
If you’d like to enter the contest, please read and follow these rules:
- This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada who are 18 years or older.
- You have one chance to enter the contest by leaving a comment below sharing what you’d most like to use the blender for.
- The contest will end at 11:59 PM EST on August 11th, 2017.
- The winner will be selected at random and emailed directly (so make sure your address is entered correctly in your comments below!). The winner will have 3 days to respond before they are disqualified and a new winner is chosen.
The Contest Is Now Closed
*Limit one (1) entry per person, email address, and household for the duration of the giveaway period. Chances of winning depend on the number of entries. Entries will be chosen at random. Giveaway ends on August 11th, 2017 at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be contacted on or around August 12th via email. The winner will have 3 days to respond before they are disqualified and a new winner is chosen. We may share your first name, last initial, and comment publicly but will not share any other information with anyone except to facilitate shipment of your prizes, which will be shipped directly from the respective vendor. 100 Days of Real Food will not use your email address for anything other than contacting you about this giveaway, however, if you sign up for our partner’s newsletter, you will be agreeing to their terms regarding their use of your email address. Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents only, aged 18 or over. We are not liable for errors stemming from lost/delayed e-mail, posting or typographical errors, technical failures, etc. Void where prohibited by law. This giveaway is being held by Leake, LLC doing business as 100 Days of Real Food. We may be reached at info{at}100daysofrealfood{dot}com.
We love to try making soup in it!
I would use the blender to make smoothies, my 20 year old Oster blender leaks. I would also use it to make my seasonal batch of roasted tomato basil soup from my garden.
I would use it daily for smoothies and puree veggies like beets and cauliflower and then freeze them in muffin tins and then blend them up again to make pancake mix or breads or soups. I also blend up nuts and seeds and lots of different types of grains. We have lots of health things we are trying to figure out over here from cancer to constipation so we have to keep trying different things. Never even heard of this blender! Sounds incredible.
I would use the blender to make smoothies, soups, ice cream, and other desserts.
Post-workout smoothies!
I love the idea of making soups in it! Desserts, sauces, smoothies of course!
I would love a blender of this calibre to make wonderful and healthy smoothies; however, would be so useful for so many other recipes as well :) Plus, I love healthy cookbooks!
I would try the french toast!
I would love to use the cookbooks to learn more recipes to blend (with a high powered blender!) besides just smoothies.
I do smoothies every morning. One of these blenders would be awesome! I am also very interested in new ways to use the blender to make more creative meals.
I would love a blender of this calibre to make wonderful and healthy smoothies; however believe it would be useful for many other recipes as well :)
I’d use this to make gluten free dairy free sugar free dips and spreads for my little one.
I would use the blender to rice cauliflower and use in place of potatoes.
Green smoothies!
I would use the blender for morning smoothies. I have never considered making other recipes like french toast in one and I am excited to try it.
Mmmm! Smoothies, salsa, soup! The possibilities are endless!
I would use this blender for my smoothies.
I would love to make healthy, nutritional smoothies for my family!
I’d love to use this blender to make smoothies and purées for soups and baby food.
Smoothies
My kids love yogurt smoothies and V8 splash. It would be awesome to get this blender to make a variety of healthy drinks for them. The cookbooks would be an added bonus.
I am in need of a new blender and recipe books as well. I really love smoothies as a way for my kids and myself to eat foods we wouldn’t eat otherwise, and I want to start doing more non drink recipes with a blender such as this French toast.
Hello!
I would most like to use the blender to make the fabulous raw recipes I watch on youtube and/or read about on all the amazing websites out there.
I have owned lots of “other” blenders in the past and they all, without fail, fail..They get clogged, fall apart, are too difficult to maneuver, etc.
I am convinced that ease of blender and ease of ingredients will only make my life and diet easier.
Thanks for the chance to win such an amazing blender and fabulous cookbooks :)
Kathy
I’m a distributor with Juice Plus and I love making smoothies every day, especially for breakfast! Would love to try different recipes as well!
I would definitely make smoothies with this awesome blender!!!
I love making smoothies, but this French toast recipe sounds wonderful. I also use a blender to make the batter for Dutch baby pancake you then cook in the oven. Very yummy.
I love to make breakfast smoothies.
Love this blog and all the excellent ideas and recipes. I’d love to win the blender and recipe books to try Tess Masters and Lisa’s recipes that work with it.
I make breakfast shakes almost every day but would like to learn more from your books.
My son has many food allergies and it takes a lot of time to prepare the foods he can eat. I would loove to use this blender to make coconut milk, nut butters, and of course smoothies! It would make the job so much easier!
This blog has transformed our family in so so many positive ways. I’m open to anything this blog recommends to blend!
I would use this awesome blender to start my new life..a life of healthy eating!!!
I would make smoothies and strawberry daquiris!!
I’d love to try the banana ice cream. Mmmm.
I would love to win this blender. My blender broke and I miss my smoothies. It would be nice to have a blender again.
I have just started Resl Food and could really use a blender. Can tell a difference already in how I feel.
I’d love to win the blender because we don’t have one and I’d like to start making smoothies for breakfast for my girls! And I’d love to win the cookbooks because we are all trying to eat healthier.
I am only a smoothie maker right now and I would love to branch out and make more delicious treats for my family!
I would be so excited to win your cookbooks and this blender!
Our family would love to utilize the Kitchen Aid blender for smoothies as well as the French Toast recipe on this post!
I would LOVE to win this blender!
I would love it to make smoothies and shakes
A high powered blender has been on my wish list a looooong time!
I would use the blender to make delicious healthy smoothies for my family.
I would love this blender to make healthy smoothies!
I need a great blender!!
I do not have a good blender and have not used blenders in the past other than for shakes, a few smoothies or very simple things.
I want to live a healthier life style and I know that what we eat affects so many areas of our health.
After surviving breast, ovarian and uterine cancer I know that I must eat healthier and exercise. My metabolism is so slow and I want to enjoy the life that I have been blessed with. I very much would like to win this blender and your cookbooks to try more of your healthy recipes and hopefully increase my metabolism. Thank you for this opportunity.
I would love to try more recipes like this with a new blender – I’m mostly a smoothie maker now…
I would love a new blender To make healthier breakfasts for my children! We are definitely in a breakfast rut in our house…..
Smoothies and homemade ice cream (Greek yogurt and frozen berries)
I would love to be able to make smooth smoothies, soups, hummus, and THIS amazing french toast recipe!
I’d love a blender that can help me make healthier and more favorable dips from vegetables from my garden.
I want to try new recipes that will get my kids to eat more protein in the morning!
I would love to try new recipes. A new appliance is a great way to do that.
Thank you for the French toast recipe. I would use the blender to make gluten free and dairy free chocolate zucchini muffins.
So many meals to choose from I would like a blender so I can make them.
I make green smoothies almost every morning in my regular blender and have gotten used to the “chunkiness” but…. my daughter has a lot of food allergies and loves hummus.. I can’t make it smooth enough for her (she gags), so I’d use it for that!!
I would love to try making my own mayo!!!
I would love to make fresh fruit smoothies. My old blender broke down.
Smoothies!!! Get those veggies and fruits! And homemade “banilla” ice cream……….. frozen bananas, a little milk and vanilla, yum!
This french toast looks GREAT! I am trying to eat more healthy foods.
I don’t currently have a blender and it would be nice to try new recipes but It would also be great as I could have my toddler get involved and help me prepare food by throwing it all in the blender and watching amazing food get made.
Would love to try healthy and yummy recipes!
I would use the blender to make healthy smoothie.
This would be so so perfect I just had my Ninja blender die on me. I used it for so much making applesauce, baby food, fruit smoothies. This would be perfect!
Smoothies
I’d love to regularly make this French toast as a comfort meal for my family, using the convenience of the blender!
Really nice looking blenders. Really trying to eat healthy. Love the ideas and recipes on this blog.
This recipe, like all of yours, looks amazing!
I use a blender for everything by currently only have a nutribullet! I need an upgrade for my growing family!
I would use the blender for the smoothie project – trying a new variety of smoothie every day for myself and my family. Fingers crossed!
Ice cream, smoothies, dips and sauces oh my the possibilities are endless! All with the recipes from the Blender Girls coookbooks.
I would use the blender to make healthy shakes for breakfast … and a bushwhacker sounds good right now!
With a child with multiple food allergies and a husband with celiac, I am always looking for new recipes to replace foods I grew up with. I’ve only used a blender for drinks and smoothies, so I’m looking forward to finding new receipts to try. So, I suppose I’d like the new cookbooks more then the blender, but I wouldn’t be able to use the recipes without a good blender. Crossing my fingers.
We would love a new blender to make our smoothies, homemade sauces, soups and more!!
I would love the blender because I don’t have one and would to see all that I can do with it!
Would love to make healthy smoothies!
So many possibilities with the blender and cookbooks! I would ❤️ to when the blender.
To make banana protein pancakes, home made fruit popsicles and green breakfast smoothies ( i tell my kids they are “hulk” smoothies :))
I use a small one glass blender everyday and it is about to die! I sure would love to WIN a new one!
I would love to be able to use the Kitchen Aid Pro blender to make my real food leftover combo soup.
I would use it for my cauliflower broccoli mash!
I would love to use the blender most for juice cleanses!
My blender feels most loved when making green smoothies with fresh fruits and vegetables.
The blender sounds great!
I would love love love to win this blender and cookbooks! I have struggled so much with trying to be gluten free. See your French toast recipe and blending in the blender I’m excited to have that powerful blender to mix all the ingredients and start cooking like you! Please consider me.
I don’t know if this is the entry or not. The instructions listed it, but there wasn’t a separate button like on most sites.
I would most like to use this blender for fruit and veggie smoothies. I am a new empty nester and have not taken care of myself for years. Now I am beginning to feel my age more and worry about my longevity!! I do not eat nearly enough fruit and vegetables and I think smoothies would be a good jump start. I want to improve my health and live to enjoy those well-deserved grandchildren I hope are not too far in the future! Thanks for the chance to win!!!
I would love to win this awesome blender
I’d love to make soups and smoothies more!!
Smoothies and soup!
Smoothies with fresh fruit but the French Toast sounds fabulous!
I’d start off with that French Toast!!
I just broke my old blender and am in desperate need of a new one! This one is amazingly better than my old one and I would love to experiment with more smoothies and soups! Thank you!
Smoothies and soups. Especially when using harder fruits or veggies to break them down to smaller pieces.
I want to win so I can make healthy soups for my family!
I would love to learn how to make smoothies and beyond!
I love the idea of banana ice cream using only banana and milk! This blender would be great for that and so much more! Thanks!
My New Roots new cookbook had a great recipe that involved freezing banan slices, letting them defrost 10 minutes, then blending it with a little almond butter, vanilla and salt.
Soft serve dairy free ice cream! Kids ans adults alike loved it.
Smoothies with frozen fruit.
It would be fun to make soup in a blender.
Smoothies and yummy treats!