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Lighter French Toast is a great start to any morning with this basic french toast recipe made from whole grain bread, almond milk, eggs and cinnamon cooked in Mazola® Corn Oil topped with organic maple syrup, fresh berries, Greek yogurt and walnuts. A clinical study showed Mazola® Corn Oil reduces cholesterol two times more than extra virgin olive oil! To learn more about this claim, see Mazola.com.
Sunday mornings start with a big breakfast in my house. We love waking up late and digging through the pantry to see what we can create. Perhaps we all just love chowing down on good food while still in pajamas. Either way, French toast is a frequent breakfast choice. It is simple, delicious and tummy satisfying. French toast doesn’t have to be loaded with calories and fat though; a few easy swaps is all it takes to make a Lighter French Toast.
Lighter Swaps
September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month! This seems like the perfect opportunity to share some of my favorite swaps to make a Lighter French Toast, so you can enjoy a breakfast staple that is better for you.
Bread
Brioche or Challah is typically used for French toast. These breads can be high in calories and fat. Pick a bread that has less calories and fat with more fiber like a whole grain or a 100% whole wheat that also offer loads of flavor.
Milk
Reduce calories and fat by swapping whole milk with something better for you. Almond milk is my favorite choice for lower calories and great flavor.
Eggs
This recipe calls for both egg whites and eggs with yolk. Mixing eggs with yolk and eggs without yolk can help cut back on cholesterol and fat.
Butter
Butter is normally what French toast is cooked in, but there is a smarter swap. French toast made with Mazola Corn Oil is healthier than those made with butter due to the lower saturated fat content.
Toppings
Butter, maple syrup and confectioners sugar are the classic French toast toppings. You can make smarter choices and add a lot of nutritional value to French toast by dropping the butter and sugar. Instead, use fresh fruits, Greek yogurt and walnuts. Maple syrup can still be a great topping because it is full of antioxidants. Make sure to buy an organic brand of maple syrup over imitation syrup that can contain chemicals and food coloring. Not a fan of maple syrup? Try a drizzle of honey.
Mazola® Corn Oil
Mazola Corn Oil is an all-purpose, cholesterol free cooking oil that is a smart heart-healthy* choice for your family. *See Mazola.com for more information on the relationship between corn oil and heart health. It has a variety of uses including baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying, or mixing up a marinade or dressing. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer emphasize a “low-fat” diet, but rather choosing quality, “good” fats. This includes replacing saturated fats that are known to contribute to heart disease with unsaturated fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, like those in Mazola Corn Oil. And, according to the USDA, corn oil has more than five times the amount of polyunsaturated fats compared to olive oil.
Lighter French Toast
Lighter French Toast starts with a warm, crispy outer layer of bread with a soft inside and a hint of cinnamon. Sweet maple syrup is poured over top with fresh berries that add some tart and sour notes. Greek yogurt is added for a bit of tang. All together, the ingredients make a mini brunch party for your mouth.
Tips & Tricks
Low Heat
Don’t cook your french toast too quickly on too high of a temperature. This can leave you with a gooey inside and burnt outside. No, thank you. Cook on a medium-low setting and give the bread time to brown nicely and warm the entire slice of bread from the inside out.
Whisk It Good
Whisk the egg mixture really well before dipping the bread. This will help as you cook the bread to have a nice consistent texture all over.
Lighter French Toast
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Mazola® Corn Oil
- 8 slices whole grain bread
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Toppings
- Greek yogurt
- organic maple syrup
- fresh berries
- walnuts
Instructions
- In a medium dish, add two eggs with yolks, two eggs without yolks, almond milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whisk ingredients together.
- Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture making sure to soak both sides.
- Heat a skillet on the stove top on a medium-low heat.
- Drizzle about 2 Tablespoon of the Mazola® Corn Oil into pan.
- Drop 4 slices of bread into the pan at a time and give a little shake so the corn oil even distributes under the bread.
- Cook for 3 minutes each side or until evenly golden brown.
- Place on a plate and top with fresh fruit, walnuts, a dollop of Greek yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Repeat steps 2-7 for the other 4 slices of bread.
Notes
How does your family begin weekend mornings? Let me know in the comments below and try Mazola Corn Oil to help lighten up breakfast.
You will want to brown your sausages to begin. Use a skillet or pan to get them warmed up and put some color on them. I don’t recommend simply microwaving the sausage to heat up. I have tried this and you miss out on the nice crispy outer layer that adds more texture and flavor. Follow the directions on the package to cook and then set the sausages to the side while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
You can use any sort of bread you like. I just go with a cheaper, white bread. You don’t need anything fancy. Just trim off the crust and use a rolling pin to flatten out the bread. Roll up one sausage per slice of bread and dip into your egg mixture. The egg mixture is really like any French toast mix you would use: milk, eggs, sugar and cinnamon. Cook the Sausage French Toast Roll Ups in a pan in small batches with a bit of butter turning often until slightly browned and serve. Sprinkle a little confectioners sugar over top and dip into maple syrup to complete.
