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Need to Try: Canolli-Stuffed French Toast Nuggets

I’m kind of in love with Lisa Lillien right now. Who is she, you ask? She’s the woman behind Hungry Girl, a brand that started as a daily email to her friends and family and has blossomed into New York Times bestselling cookbooks and a show on The Food Network.

Lillien basically shows you how to eat delicious foods while cutting out some of the calories because, as she says on her website, “she is obsessed with food—how wonderful it is, and how much of it she can eat and still fit into her pants.”

I caught a piece of her show this weekend while I sat for a second to feed the baby. She was making cannoli-stuffed french toast nuggets that made my mouth water. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge fan of french toast and a huge fan of dessert (hence, my love of brunch!). The combination of these two things makes me shake with glee!

So instead of rambling incoherently, here is the delicious recipe and all of its glorious details (click the link for a printer-friendly version on the Hungry Girl website):

Cannoli-Stuffed French Toast Nuggets

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 228 calories, 6.5g fat, 395mg sodium, 31g carbs, 3g fiber, 10.5g sugars, 12.5g protein — PointsPlus® value 6*

Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 5 minutes (MAKES 1 SERVING)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. fat-free ricotta cheese
2 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda or Truvia)
1 light hot dog bun with about 80 calories (like the kind by Sara Lee)
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown)
1/2 tsp. powdered sugar
Optional topping: sugar-free pancake syrup

Directions

In a small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, chocolate chips, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, and sweetener, and mix well.
Split hot dog bun open lengthwise, without fully separating the two halves. Spoon ricotta mixture onto the bottom half of the bun. Gently press the top half down over the filling. Carefully slice into four “nuggets” and set aside.
Mix egg substitute, cinnamon, and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract in a small bowl. Set aside.
Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add butter and allow to coat the bottom of the skillet.
Meanwhile, coat each nugget on all sides with the egg mixture. (You won’t need to use all of the egg mixture.)
Once butter has melted, place nuggets in the skillet and, flipping occasionally, cook until golden brown on all sides, 3 – 4 minutes.
Plate your nuggets and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with syrup, if you like. Enjoy!

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Written by Jennifer Garry

Jen is a freelance writer and girl mom from New York. When she's not knee-deep in glittery crafts and girl talk, you can probably find her sprawled across her couch in the middle of a Netflix marathon with dark chocolate smeared on her face. The struggle is real.