BURGER KING: FRENCH TOAST STICKS

SAVE: 114 CALORIES, 15 G FAT, 1.5 G SAT. FAT

Ilove that Burger King calls these scrumptious, delicious, decadent breakfast treats “French Toast Sticks.” I personally find them to more closely resemble doughnuts. But I guess many more people can justify eating French Toast Sticks for breakfast than can justify eating Doughnut Sticks for breakfast.

As far as I’m concerned, the chef who created these wonderfully vanilla-y sticks is a genius. If you’re like me, and you really don’t feel very good about eating anything called or resembling doughnuts for breakfast (except on rare occasion, of course), this nonfried version parallels the sweet vanilla flavor with the hint of cinnamon found in Burger King’s, but with 75 percent less fat and nearly a third fewer calories.

¼ cup egg substitute

½ tablespoon vanilla extract

5 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons light butter

1¼ slices Hawaiian sweet bread, cut into five 1"-wide strips

Light pancake syrup (optional)

IN a shallow bowl, combine the egg substitute and vanilla. With a fork, mix to blend. Set aside next to the stove top.

On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the sugar and cinnamon. With a fork, mix to blend. Set aside next to the bowl.

Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working quickly with one bread strip at a time, dip each strip into the egg-substitute mixture just to coat. Do not soak the bread, or the sticks will be too soft to pick up. Transfer immediately to the sugar mixture to coat all sides. You may need to press the sugar into the strips. Place in the pan. Continue dipping and coating the remaining strips, placing them in the pan so that they don’t touch the other strips. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve with syrup, if desired.

MAKES 1 SERVING (5 STICKS)

276 calories, 7 g protein, 48 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 3 g sat. fat, 2 g fiber

Original Burger King French Toast Sticks (5 sticks): 390 calories, 6 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat, 4.5 g sat. fat, 2 g fiber

BEFORE YOU START You will not need to use all of the egg substitute and confectioners’ sugar called for in the recipe. You’ll need the excess to dip and coat the sticks easily, but the nutritional analysis is based on the average amount of these ingredients that actually adheres to the bread and is consumed.