It's been bouncing back and forth between cold and warm weather here in NYC! It's starting to feel like an early spring, but I'm still digging the wintery, warm breakfasts.

There's something about French toast that is such a homey, comfort food. Pancakes and French toast get such a bad reputation for being the unhealthiest of the breakfast food options. While they are undeniably heavier on carbs than some other options, there are easy ways to make them wholesome and nutritious without sacrificing flavor.

French toast, for instance, is rather straightforward. Egg-drenched toast that has a distinctly chewy and crisp texture at the same time. But it can be just as delicious without all the heavy butter/cream that some traditional recipes call for! In fact, I prefer it, since I get all the flavor without the headache and bellyache afterward.

I even used store-bought gluten-free bread for this, and it soaked up the mixture beautifully.

This recipe is a slight twist on the classic recipe. I got inspired from all the winter citrus at the supermarket, and coconut milk tends to make everything feel more indulgently rich while remaining wholesome. I guarantee, this simple recipe will impress for a simple weekend morning brunch with an easy cleanup!

Citrus Coconut French Toast

*serves 2

Ingredients

6 Small slices of bread of your choice (I used Udi's GF Millet-Chia, and they tend to be smaller slices)
2 Large Eggs
1/3 cup of Coconut Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp Zest from Citrus of your choice (I used Cara Cara orange & Kumquat- lemon, lime, blood orange are all good options!)
2 tbsp Juice from same Citrus fruit of your choice
Pinch of Salt
Coconut Oil (I use this spray to make life easy) to grease pan

Recipe

*your bread will soak up the eggy mixture much better if on the drier side- leave your bread out for a few hours or even overnight for better results!

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, zest, juice, and salt and whisk thoroughly. One slice at a time, submerge bread into eggy mixture until it soaks as much as possible up.

2. Heat a skillet on medium heat, and grease with coconut oil. Place eggy slices of bread and cook for about 3 minutes (or until toasty brown) on each side. If making a larger batch, place cooked slices in a baking dish in the oven on 200ºF to keep warm while you cook the other slices. Plate and serve with citrus garnish, desired fruits or toppings! I used the peeled Cara Cara oranges, blueberries, chia seeds, and maple syrup.