recipes Archives - Womens Post

Living May 22, 2018

Summer salads, ace healthy eating

Summer is right around the corner and BBQ season has begun, but not everyone becomes excited about burgers and steaks straight off the grill. It’s also summer salad season. Let’s be honest, salads are a tad better for the waistline and there are many options when it comes to this food form. Here are a couple of healthy and delicious options for those who want to mix things up and bring some unique flavours to the next neighbourhood get-together.

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad

Ingredients:

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 c. cubed seedless watermelon

1 c. medium cucumber, chopped

1/2 c. coarsely chopped mint

1 c. crumbled feta

Whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine cubed watermelon, cucumber, and mint. Pour contents from the small bowl over the watermelon mixture and top off with cubed feta and sea salt.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

2 heads fresh broccoli

1 red onion

1/2 pound bacon

3/4 cup raisins

3/4 cup sliced almonds

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Place bacon in a deep skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cool and crumble. Cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces and cut the onion into thin bite-size slices. Combine with the bacon, raisins, your favorite nuts and mix well. To prepare the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar together until smooth. Stir into the salad, let chill and serve. This makes 9 servings.

Southwestern Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 (16 ounce) package rotini pasta

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic

crushed1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves1 cup chopped roma (plum) tomatoes

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. In a large bowl combine oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic. Stir in pasta and set aside to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn, beans, green pepper, red pepper and 1/2 of the cilantro leaves. Spoon onto a platter and garnish with tomatoes and remaining cilantro. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Bon Appetit!

Living March 17, 2018

St. Patrick’s Day: How personal tradition defines the way we celebrate our holidays

By Sinead Mulhern

When St. Patrick’s Day rolled around each year while I was growing up in Alberta, my mom and I would get to work whipping up batches upon batches of clover-shaped cookies. In the middle of March, winter showed no signs of letting up in the Prairies and so it only seemed natural to stay inside, roll out the dough and fill the house with the agonizingly sweet smell of nearly-baked goods. In our prep, we’d throw into the bowl flour as powdery as the snow heaps outside and whirl it together with crystals of white sugar. While they baked, we mixed up the icing – green of course – ready to coat each little clover with a generous layer. Then, I’d proudly bring them to school to share with my classmates. Being the Irish kid in the class, it was my special treat.

As traditions go, this possibly was simply an idea one year, before carrying on to the next and the next. Eventually, supplying my peers with these shamrock treats became part of my St. Patrick’s Day routine. Once, I even remember when Paddy’s Day eve rolled around and we had both forgotten so we woke up extra early and baked a double batch together in the indigo blue pre-dawn hours.

At school, I’d pass around the green snacks, press play to an accordion tune and perform one of the jigs which I learned at dance practice in Edmonton’s Irish club. During those years, St. Patrick’s Day was the celebration of the country where both my parents were born and lived in until their mid-twenties. For me, it was green cookies and dancing and, of course, church and Irish brunch.

The latter would be standard for many Irish households living both in the stocking-shaped emerald isle or abroad – like us. The former though, are traditions we created ourselves. When the calendar turns to March 17, many in Canada will celebrate by clinking pints of Guinness or green-dyed beer. Packs of university students in North America will wear obnoxious amounts of green with probably at least one top hat and kiss-me-I’m-Irish sash in every group. In Ireland, some relatives of mine will take in mass and a breakfast of eggs and sausages after. Green sugar cookies will be few and far between, I know.

Though we religiously kept up our tradition for years, it eventually faded. I grew past the age where it would have been appropriate to pass around baked goods in class and we moved across the country, well away from our Alberta kitchen with the snow piles out the window. While the sugary clover cutouts became a thing of the past, my mother’s and my love for working with food didn’t wane. Out were the cookies, in was the baked soda bread (a classic) or a piping hot pot of Irish stew (even more classic). Together, we busied our hands putting together recipes that were, this time, symbolic of the place where my mom grew up.

When I left home and moved to Toronto, I kept up our tradition of making food on this day even though we no longer lived in the same household. Just as I did when I was seven, I again made a point of sharing it with school friends. For a few years during this chapter in my life, I avoided the tacky party celebrations and instead whipped up a pot of Irish stew and a fresh loaf of bread for my best lady friend. Together, we drank beer well into the evening.

The food that I now make on this day is traditional, yes. But my tradition of working away in the kitchen on (or just before) March 17, and sharing with friends has nothing to do with Paddy’s Day really. That habit stems from the days I spent mixing sugar cookies with my mom. The food has changed over time, the activity has not. This is how I, a daughter of two Irish immigrant parents, choose to spend this day. It’s interesting, how the customs we make for ourselves somehow have the most importance. Our personalized celebrations often trump how holidays are typically celebrated by the masses.

This year, the tradition, for me, has changed yet again. For the first time, I won’t be in Canada for this Irish holiday. I now reside in Colombia – over 6,000 kilometres away from that Alberta home and 4,000 kilometres away from my mom. The traditions I’ve set for myself will continue to evolve as I celebrate this holiday and the ones to come. As we head into Paddy’s Day, my mom and I have already discussed our menus. She’ll make her St. Patrick’s Day stew on the weekend whereas I’ve made mine already. The difference: mine contained a cup not of Guinness, but a local beer: Club Colombia Negra.

Recipe November 20, 2017

How to make your own Instagram-worthy ice cream

Fancy ice cream sandwiches or crazy cones are all the rage, but the wait to get one of these trendy desserts can sometimes take all the fun out of eating them. Instead, try to make your own at home. Dust with fun ingredients and make these desserts as Instagram-worthy as those $20 cones from downtown Toronto!

The first step is, obviously, to create the ice cream. If you have an ice cream maker…well, you shouldn’t need to go out for ice cream to begin with. If you don’t, it’s quite easy to make using some items you find around the house.

First, stir together two cups of heavy cream and one can of condensed milk. Whip it until the cream creates peaks. Add in a flavour (cocoa powder, vanilla, strawberries, ect.) and fold in to the cream mixture. Put it in a freezer-safe container and freeze overnight. Use an ice cream scoop to get circular scoops.

If you want to go the old fashioned route, you can also make ice cream with Ziploc freezer bags. Fill one with half and half cream as well as a few tablespoons of sugar. Mix in your flavours and put these items in a medium size bag. Place the bag in the larger bag and fill the large bag with ice and table salt. Shake until it creates a ice cream consistency.

This process can take a while and is better performed with groups so that everyone has a turn shaking!

If you want to make a vegan alternative, try using coconut milk or almond milk as the base and add your sweetener. You can also create an ice cream by using puree banana and swirling in peanut butter and chocolate chips! No milk-base required.

Top your ice cream with chocolate sauce and fruit. If you want, you can melt chocolate chips in the microwave (or in a glass bowl on top of a pot on the stove) and dip your ice cream in it. Make sure your ice cream is really frozen so nothing slides off. Then, top with sprinkles, marshmallows, or cookies. Get creative and use whatever you have in the cupboard!

If you want to use a cone, make sure to do any “fancy-ing” to it before putting the ice cream on top. Fill the inside with melted chocolate and dip the ring in white chocolate. Stick some sprinkles, cotton candy, chopped nuts, or any other toping on the chocolate. Let dry – this only should take a few minutes.

The best part — once you have the ingredients, you can indulge in much more than a single ice cream cone!

Health & Fitness February 22, 2017

Celebrating Women: Amy Symington

There are many reasons why people choose to adopt a vegan lifestyle — whether its for ethical reasons or to inspire a healthy lifestyle — but avoiding meat and dairy may have other perks, including preventing chronic disease. Nutritionist, vegan chef, professor, and owner of Amelia Eats, Amy Symington, focuses on teaching individuals how dietary choices can actually impact overall health and contribute to saving lives.

Symington is a multi-faceted woman actively involved in the vegan health community. She is very warm and easy to approach and is intelligent in a non-assuming way. Symington started her career as a vegan chef seven years ago and now teaches nutrition and culinary classes at George Brown College. “There is a stigma to vegan food being not flavourful,” Symington says. “The other chefs try it and they are shocked at how good it is. I like to focus on converting people to a plant-based diet through food.”

Alongside teaching, Symington runs a business called Amelia Eats that does catering, nutritional consulting, and creates recipes for various publications and businesses. She provides vegan nutrition expertise through her website and will also provide deluxe vegan catering dinners at request.

Symington’s interests go beyond simple cooking. She is researching how plant-based fare can help people who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. “My mom had breast cancer. During her treatment, I focused on plant-based foods and nutrition,” Symington says. “During my mother’s treatment, I found there wasn’t an option for people with cancer to be provided with a nutritionist or dietician. It was more like an assembly line with pills. There is no tender love and care in our system when it comes to cancer. There are wonderful doctors and nurses, but when to nutrition there is a gap. Processed red meats in particular, sausage, and bacon is directly linked to an increased risk of cancer and also breast cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) came out with a statement that shook people last year.”

After learning more about these risks, Symington began a vegan supper club program on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Gilda’s Club Greater Toronto, and provides social and emotional support to cancer survivors. The program involves preparing and cooking vegan fare for cancer patients and their families twice a week. “Gilda’s program focuses on cancer survivors. There are 50 different cancer care affiliates in North America and the vegan supper club programming is very popular,” Symington says. “People were very skeptical at first and would jokingly ask for steak instead, but they came around to the vegan meal and now they love it. It is all about winning people over with really flavourful food.” She focuses on a menu with fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. “They are most nutrient dense foods out there with high fibre, healthy fats and high antioxidants. Antioxidants fight off ‘free radicals’, osteoporosis, and diabetes and help with chronic disease prevention in general.”

Symington’s mom focused more on a vegetarian diet when she was in treatment, and her doctor became concerned if this was the best choice for her health. This later inspired Symington to start a community guide about how plant-based diets can positively influence good nutrition if you have cancer. It is proven that fruits and vegetables are filled with phytochemicals, fibre, and health promoting nutrients and tend to be healthier than meat and dairy products. As an expert nutritionist, Symington is creating a plant-based guide to cancer nutrition for people who would like to prevent cancer, those going through treatment, and those who are in recovery from treatment. Symington received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) award to create the guide and this will help fund the project. “There will be three components, including a literature review on what to consume for cancer prevention, then large quantity recipes focusing on foods mentioned, and the third part will focus on how to run your own supper club programming,” Symington says. “The students at George Brown are helping create recipes and then we test the recipe at Gilda’s on Tuesdays.”

Along with her husband, Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, the couple plan to raise their son as a vegan. “Generally. babies are vegan. You exclusively breast feed them, which is recommended. The first things that are recommended are cereals and fruits and vegetables. From there, use calcium-fortified tofu, lentils, and whole grains to get your complete proteins,” Symington says. “As a parent, you need to be informed about specific nutrients including vitamin D, DHA, probiotics, B12, iron, and calcium.”

When Symington isn’t working, she enjoys cooking on her own time and making delicious vegan food. Her guilty pleasure sounds absolutely delicious: “My death row meal is a good burrito or taco equipped with avocado and sweet potato with tempeh, and turmeric or tempeh tacos, always with hot sauce.” When she isn’t working, She also loves running and soccer, and is currently reading “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford.

Symington is leading the way in disease prevention with a compassionate approach to food and health. She is inspiring and her knowledge about vegan health foods gives people vital information about living a healthier lifestyle. Check out Symington’s recipes through Amelia Eats and if you get a chance, enjoy one of her vegan meals.

What's Hot September 23, 2016

Top foods to boost your mood

Feeling down? Your diet could be a factor. Despite the everyday stresses of life, poor eating habits can also contribute to your bad mood. Lack of mental and physical energy is not something you want to deal with while trying to conquer the world. If you’re experiencing a case of the Debby Downer lately, try these mood boosting remedies:

1. Apples

They always say: an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Apples are one of the most valuable remedies for mental depression. The various chemical substances present in this fruit help the synthesis of glutamic acid, which controls the wear and tear of nerve cells. Try eating the apple with honey and milk. This combination makes an effective tonic that helps recharge nerves, gives new energy, and vitalizes the life.

2. Root of asparagus

The root of asparagus is highly nutritious and is used as an herbal medicine for mental disorders. Much like apples, it is a good tonic for the brain and nerves. One or two grams of the powder of the dry root of the plant can be taken once daily.

3. Bananas

There is logic behind the phrase ”going bananas,” you know! Eating bananas facilitates the cross-talk among the brain cells and affects the mood. To prevent recurring minor depression, a banana- a – day therapy will help.

4. Cardamon

Add some cardamon seeds to boiling water along with a teabag. These seeds will add a very pleasant aroma to the tea, which can be used as a medicine in the treatment of depression.

5. Rose Petals

Feel like a queen by infusing half a cup of rose petals in two cups of boiling water. Drink it occasionally, instead of the usual tea and coffee, and get the benefits. If you wish, leave it to cool off, place it in the refrigerator and drink it cool.

6. Cashew nut

The cashew nut is another valuable remedy for general depression and nervous weakness. It is rich in vitamins of the B group, especially thiamine, and is therefore useful in stimulating the appetite and the nervous system.

7. Herb lemon balm

The herb lemon balm has been used successfully in the treatment of mental depression. It alleviates brain fatigue, lifts the heart from depression, and raises the spirits. A cold infusion of the balm taken freely is excellent for its calming influence on the nerves.

8. Peanuts

Peanuts are good sources of trytophan, an essential amino acid which is important for the production of serotonin, one of the key brain chemicals involved in mood regulation. Surprisingly, peanuts may have good affects in lowering depression.

Remember: In addition to eating healthy, daily exercise and a positive attitude is also highly important. If you’re experiencing depression and anxiety and are having trouble completing day to day activities, be sure to also visit your doctor for more information on how to improve your mental health.

Good luck!

What do you eat to boost your mood? Tell us in the comments below!

Living March 29, 2016

5 things to do with leftover ham

Your Sunday Easter dinner turned out perfectly — the scalloped potatoes were cheesy and creamy, the vegetables were crisp, and the ham was cooked to utter perfection. But, your guests didn’t eat as much as you expected. Instead of having enough leftover ham for a day or so as planned, you have enough for a few weeks! What to do?

If you’re like me, you can only eat ham and potatoes for so many days before starting to feel sick. Here are five alternatives for those who don’t want to waste all of those fantastic leftovers:

hash-brown-eggs-nests-with-avocado-1 — thecookingjar.com

Eggs: Nothing goes better with ham than some good old eggs and cheese. Put some of the ham in an omelette or make little hashbrown nests with some shredded potatoes. After spraying some muffin tins, line it with the potato, crack an egg, and top with diced ham, cheese, and some spinach if you’re feeling healthy. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at a temperature of 350 degrees.

Casserole: What’s the easiest way to use leftovers? Throw them all in a casserole dish and let it warm up in the oven. Personally, I like to combine some cooked pasta, peas, corn, onions, ham, and cheese with some mushroom sauce. If you want some more vegetables, feel free to add some carrots or broccoli. This is comfort food at its best.

Soup: One of my favourite meals on a rainy day is split-pea soup, with yellow peas, onions, ham, and bacon. Put all of these ingredients into a pot with vegetable stock, pepper, and garlic, and let simmer for a few hours. I like to puree the soup slightly so that it’s not as thick.

Stirfry: Most of the time I use chicken or beef in my stirfry, but it’s easy to substitute that with ham. Put some cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, bok choy, and pineapple in a skillet with your leftover ham. Cook in some water until the vegetables are mostly cooked and then add some soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, and sesame seeds. Serve on top of rice.

Pizza: Pineapple, ham, and cheese (extra cheese!). Those are my absolute favourite things to put on a pizza. If you want to make this at home, try it on some large flatbread or on a tortilla wrap. If you aren’t a pineapple fan, try substituting some tomatoes or green peppers. Top with olives, chilli flakes, and onions. Enjoy!

What do you plan to do with your Easter leftovers? Let us know in the comments

Health & Fitness December 16, 2015

Vegan coconut curry butternut squash soup with a kick

This delicious soup is a great choice for the cold winter months, when sore throats and grey weather has taken over Toronto’s city skies.

LoveWildLiveFree is a vegan lifestyle blog founded by Avra Epstein, a local Toronto lawyer and vegan blogger enthusiast. Epstein is a passionate and powerful force in the vegan community and her recipes are scrumptious as well as healthy. Her website also provides insights into the nutritional value of the ingredients used, which is really helpful as a vegan and health conscious foodie.

This soup is fantastic because it will not only satisfy the spice lover’s taste pallet, but it will also fill you up at the same time. Butternut squash recipes can be tasteless without the right spices and LoveWildLiveFree goes above and beyond with a careful selection of red pepper flakes, curry powder, Himalayan salt, pepper and cinnamon. I also appreciate the quality of sweetness combined with the spice. The coconut milk is rich and sweet; yet, it is balanced well with a hint of heat, giving this wholesome dish a bit of a kick. Enjoy and visit www.lovewildlivefree.com for more great recipes and vegan tips!

You will need:

1 tbsp unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup red onion, roughly diced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or a small hot pepper (diced)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 butternut squash (about 3.5 lbs)

2 Tbsp curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Himalayan salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth**

1 – 14-ounce (414 ml) can of full fat coconut milk

1 – 2 tbsp raw cane juice crystals from Giddy Yo Yo (or Coconut Sugar)

Topping suggestions:

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts

Red Chilli Flakes

Raw Pumpkin Seeds

(Use organic ingredients)

Instructions:

Cut squash in half so that the top and bottom are separated (this will make it easier to handle). Carefully peel squash. Cut the bottom portion in half, remove and discard seeds. Chop squash into 1/2 inch pieces.
Heat oil in a large heavy soup pot. Add onions and red pepper flakes/diced hot pepper, sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Stir frequently.
Add garlic, and sauté for another minute, making sure not to burn the garlic.
Next, add the butternut squash, curry powder, cinnamon, Himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Add vegetable broth, coconut milk and sugar, stirring to combine. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. Simmer soup on low heat for about 15 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
Remove the pot from the heat. Working in small batches, carefully ladle the soup into a blender to puree. Alternatively, you can use a handheld emulsifier. Note: I prefer to use a glass blender when blending hot food as I am personally wary about placing hot food in plastic. If you’re using a blender with a plastic container you can always opt to allow the soup to cool before blending.
Place the pureed soup back in the pot and warm before serving. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Top each serving with hemp for a nutty source of plant-based protein and omega fats (I always use Manitoba Harvest Hemp). You can also add red pepper flakes for an added kick and raw pumpkin seeds for extra protein and crunch!

Original recipe can be found here: Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup with a Kick

Recipe December 3, 2015

Sassy vegan red and green Christmas tarts

Christmas dinner can be difficult for vegans. Many traditional dishes are topped to the brim with eggs, cheese and milk not to mention chicken or ham. Dinner can quickly become a plate with a bun (if you’re lucky) and some green beans if you aren’t prepared. This is why it is essential to plan a great meal that will have any meat eater ditching the turkey stuffing for a delectable vegan alternative.

The amazing Katherine Kooks created a fantastic recipe for Red and Green Christmas Tarts and posted it on her blog, My accidentally delicious vegan cuisine! These tarts are delicious and a great choice for a potluck because of their holiday appropriate colour palette. They are easy to make and, surprisingly, taste similar to stuffing.

By combining cranberries, broccoli, Portobello mushrooms and sundried tomatoes with spices, almond milk and tahini, it creates a colorful and healthy food mixture. The combination can then be placed into mini pie shells and baked for 25 minutes. This recipe is easy, quick and healthy with a holiday twist. It is a great food option and will bring festive vegan cheer to the dinner table this Christmas holiday.

RED AND GREEN CHRISTMAS TARTs

Ingredients:

Fresh cranberries

Broccoli ( chopped into flourettes)

portobello mushrooms

Sundried Tomatoes

garlic

coconut oil

rosemary

thyme

almond milk

Tahini

green onion

sea salt

pie shells * Our compliments makes vegan pie and tart shells!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat pie shells for seven minutes and they will expand slightly.

While shells are heating, sauté minced garlic and Portobello mushrooms with coconut oil.

Add a pinch of rosemary, basil and sea salt.

Chop broccoli florets and saute with sundried tomatoes.

Grab that bowl with mushrooms in it! Toss in 1 1/2 cups of almond milk, 2 tbl spoons of tahini. Chop in green onions, black pepper and a dash more rosemary.

Stir the mixture and add in the broccoli/sundried mix.

It will almost solidify in the oven. As for the cranberries, take the partially toasted shells and drop it in the bottom of each tart. Spoon the mixture on top and added one more cranberry to the tops of each tart.

Bake them for about 25 minutes., just keep an eye on them if the tops feel too soft they need more time.

For more delicious vegan recipes, visit Katherine Kooks food blog and enjoy!

https://katherinekooks.wordpress.com/

Recipe July 27, 2015

RECIPE: Garlic Scape & Cherry Tomato Pasta

Roasting garlic scapes with tomatoes and red onion sweetens them and enriches their flavor; toss them with pasta, lemon juice, and arugula for a simple summer meal.

SERVES 4

Ingredients

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¹⁄₂ spaghetti
2 tbsp. olive oil
10 garlic scapes
1 pint multicolored cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup baby arugula
1 lemon, zested and juiced

Instructions

Heat oven to 400°.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain pasta and keep warm.
Toss olive oil, garlic scapes, tomatoes, red onion, salt, and pepper and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 12–15 minutes, until tomatoes are just beginning to burst.
Remove from oven and toss with spaghetti, arugula, and lemon zest and juice.
Serve immediately.

Comment below and tell us how it was. Bon appetite!

Repost from: http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/garlic-scape-and-cherry-tomato-pasta

Recipe July 23, 2015

RECIPE: Blueberry Surprise Casserole

Try this warm-from-the-oven casserole at family brunch this weekend! Cream cheese is the secret ingredient in this recipe, which gets a generous topping of blueberry or maple syrup. Yum!

Makes: 8 servings
Prep: 20 mins
Chill: 2 hrs
Bake: 25 mins

Ingredients

12 slices dry white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
2 8 – ounce package cream cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup
Blueberry-flavored, maple, or maple-flavored syrup

Directions

Place half of the bread cubes over the bottom of a well-buttered 13x9x2-inch baking dish (3-quart rectangular). Sprinkle cream cheese and blueberries over bread cubes. Arrange remaining bread cubes over blueberries.
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a rotary beater; beat in milk and the 1/2 cup syrup. Carefully pour egg mixture over the bread mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.
Bake, covered, in a 375 degrees F oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake about 25 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean, and topping is puffed and golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with blueberry-flavored or maple syrup. Makes 8 servings.

Note* To dry bread slices: Arrange bread in a single layer on a wire rack; cover loosely and let stand overnight. Or cut bread with 1/2-inch cubes; spread in a large baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 300 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry, stirring twice; cool.

Comment below and let us know how it went!

Repost from: http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/fruit/blueberry-surprise-french-toast-casserole