Stuffed French Toast with Caramelized Cinnamon Apples

Preparation Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside. Spray a large nonstick skillet with canola oil spray. Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the filling, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. To make the French toast, lay out four slices of bread on a clean work surface and spread evenly with the filling mixture. Place the remaining slices of bread on top, sandwich-style. Cut each "sandwich" on the diagonal and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, milk, whey, vanilla extract, salt, and agave nectar. Soak the sandwich halves in the egg mixture, turning them over until both sides are very moist. In the prepared skillet, sauté the sandwiches over medium heat. Brown 1 side, then carefully turn to brown the other side. Remove from the pan and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and hot on the inside. To prepare the apple topping, melt the butter in a large sauté pan, add apples, and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the cinnamon and agave nectar and cook together for a few minutes more until the mixture is bubbly and the apples are tender. Spoon the mixture over the French toast. Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.

Preparation Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside. Spray a large nonstick skillet with canola oil spray. Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the filling, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. To make the French toast, lay out four slices of bread on a clean work surface and spread evenly with the filling mixture. Place the remaining slices of bread on top, sandwich-style. Cut each "sandwich" on the diagonal and set aside. Whisk together the eggs, milk, whey, vanilla extract, salt, and agave nectar. Soak the sandwich halves in the egg mixture, turning them over until both sides are very moist. In the prepared skillet, sauté the sandwiches over medium heat. Brown 1 side, then carefully turn to brown the other side. Remove from the pan and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and hot on the inside. To prepare the apple topping, melt the butter in a large sauté pan, add apples, and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the cinnamon and agave nectar and cook together for a few minutes more until the mixture is bubbly and the apples are tender. Spoon the mixture over the French toast. Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.