Savory French Toast, Stuffed with Cumin Scented Corn, Spinach and Cheese

 Makes 4 sandwiches

 Mmm…corn, spinach and melted cheese…..what’s not to love? I cannot seem to get enough of the fresh corn available at this time of the year. So I come up with different ways of incorporating it in our meals. Also, are you like me ……. an ‘impulse food shopper’? When I go food shopping and see super fresh veggies (among various other foods:) I buy them, thinking I will figure out later what I can make with it. So when I saw the fresh and crisp bunches of spinach I got those too, thinking I will make a spinach salad.

But when I was in a hurry to produce a quick meal, I opened the refrigerator and saw that I had the spinach, 2 ears of corn on the cob and some shredded Mexican cheese blend. That’s when I decided to make this super easy and super delicious meal, that can be eaten for brunch, lunch or dinner. Cumin seed, red onion and corn are just meant to be together….. that is, in my humble opinion:) I have also used besan flour in this recipe.  Besan is flour made out of chana dal. It is the same flour used in Broccoli Pithaley. It gives the French toast a tempting aromatic flavor. It will remind you of pakoras ,without the deep frying of course!

 I used the shredded Mexican cheese blend because I had that in the refrigerator but you could use any cheese you like. I want to try making it with Gruyere and Fontina cheese next time. Do you think that will go well with this recipe? I would love to hear what combination of cheese you liked with this Savory French Toast.

Ingredients-

 For the corn and spinach stuffing-

• 1 teaspoon oil + 1 teaspoon butter or ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 small red onion, diced
• corn kernels cut from 2 ears of corn on the cob
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (or to taste)
• sea salt to taste
• 1 big handful of fresh spinach leaves, chopped

For the coating/covering-

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon besan mixed smooth with 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1/4 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
• salt to taste

For the bread-

• I used 8 slices of Fiber One soft oatmeal bread but of course you can use any bread of your choice.

For the cheese-

• I used 1/2 cup grated Mexican blend cheese

For cooking-

• About 4 teaspoons of oil. I used extra virgin olive oil

To make the French toast-

Make the corn and spinach stuffing-

1. In a sauté pan, heat the oil and butter or ghee over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir them around for a few seconds until they sizzle and are fragrant. Add the diced red onion and stir until the onion is translucent, about a minute or so.
2. Add the corn kernels, chili powder and salt and stir for a minute to let the flavors mingle and cook the kernels of corn.
3. Add the chopped spinach leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds or so, just to wilt the spinach leaves and to incorporate them into the spiced mixture.
4. Remove from heat and let cool while you make the egg coating.

For the egg mixture coating-

1. Simply whisk together all the ingredients for the coating/covering in a shallow bowl.

To make the Savory French Toast-

1. Divide the corn and spinach mixture into roughly 4 parts.
2. Spread 1/4 of the mixture on one bread slice. Add about 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese and  top it with the other slice of bread.
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a griddle pan( I used a non stick pan) over medium heat. Turn the heat to low, carefully holding the sandwich dip it in the mixture so it coats both the top and bottom of the sandwich.
4. Add the sandwich to the griddle pan and let it cook,covered, for about 2 minutes or until the egg mixture is cooked and has a golden brown color. Carefully flip the sandwich to let the other side cook, covered, for another 2 minutes.

   

5. Repeat with the other 3 sandwiches.
6. Serve hot off the griddle with ketchup! Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sandhya