Gluten-free French Toast with Pumpkin Cornbread

Sunday brunch. Guess what's on today's menu? Gluten-free French Toast.

Sunday. A day for rest. A day for indulgence. The perfect day for a nice big brunch. What gluten-free breakfast item should be on the menu? Waffles, pancakes or french toast? A tough choice I know, but our lack of a waffle iron canceled out one option and I made gluten-free pumpkin pancakes a few weekends ago. Today we decided we needed to listen to our belly, and so, my specialty it was. Gluten-free French Toast.

Last week I got the weekly recipe from Healthy Bitch Daily (which I must mention is a fabulously funny daily newsletter which you should totally sign up for) and it was Pumpkin Cornbread. I just had to make it (gluten-free of course). I mean really, what's better than Pumpkin-Anything Bread. If you are a Queen of Quinoa follower, you know my two vices: quinoa and pumpkin. Some may feel these are a strange two faves, but to me they are heaven.

Quinoa, as I'm sure you already know, is amazing. As the Queen of Quinoa, I get to explore the depths of this world to its fullest. Exploring the diverse flavor profiles quinoa brings to each dish, reminding myself why being the Queen of Quinoa is so rewarding. I get to eat the food I love on a daily basis and I have the pleasure of sharing my recipes with the fabulous gluten-free and dairy-free communities.

Pumpkin, of course, is a fantabulous addition to almost any dish. I add pumpkin to my smoothies in the morning, it is obviously delicious in pies and muffins, delightful added to cookies (try my Gluten-free Pumpkin Quinoa Cookies) and pancakes (and try my Gluten-free Pumpkin "Oatmeal" Pancakes), and just as scrumptious in casseroles, soups and even mac and cheese. So yes, pumpkin is fantastic and I adore it. It reminds me of my mom and her famous Pumpkin Pie and brings the flavor of Fall to each bite you take. Yum!

Long story short, my love for pumpkin drove me to make the Healthy Bitch Daily's Pumpkin Cornbread recipe. This was a recipe I simply could not pass up.

Oh yes, gluten-free deliciousness for breakfast.

A twist on a Southern classic, Pumpkin makes this Gluten-free Cornbread magical. 

Breakfast to warm the soul. A long week deserves an end like this.

Treat yourself. Indulge. You deserve it. 

A new breakfast fave. Gluten-free French Toast with Pumpkin Cornbread.

Gluten-Free French Toast with Pumpkin Cornbread

Thinking that the pumpkin cornbread would make dry French Toast, we were a bit wary of the outcome. To our surprise it actually turned out to be heavenly. The egg batter made the inside of the toast warm and almost gooey, while the outside was crisp and delicious. I was definitely having a pumpkin party in my mouth while enjoying this. 

We made the gluten-free cornbread a few days ago, each sharing a slice, and were very underwhelmed with the flavor. It was dry and not very sweet. We immediately froze the rest of the loaf, saving the slices for a later date. In my Sunday morning haze, I wanted a super sweet breakfast, without the mess of waffles or pancakes. What could be easier than French Toast? Nada mucho. Plus our bellies were craving it, so french toast was a no-brainer. And what better way to use our left over cornbread than sop it up in a cinnamony, nutmeg egg batter!

First let's begin with the gluten-free pumpkin cornbread. I followed the Healthy Bitch Daily recipe exactly except that I swapped for g-free ingredients and used a real egg vs. an egg replacer:

• 1 cup gluten-free cornmeal
• 1 cup brown rice four
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 tablespoons organic brown sugar
• 1 large organic free-range egg
• 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup canned organic pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons vegan, soy-free butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a bread loaf pan or line it with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine cornmeal, brown rice flour, baking powder & soda and salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, and vegan butter. Add your dry ingredients and mix until you have a nicely combined, gorgeous orange batter. Pour the batter into your loaf pan and bake for about 20 minutes. You can test the doneness by inserting a cake tester into the center of the loaf and if comes out clean/dry, you're golden.

Let the loaf cool and then slice it into 8 - 10 slices - oh baby, it's French Toast time!

This is what a Gluten-free/Dairy-free breakfast lover would find in heaven.

Topped with Vermont Maple Syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon

for the batter:

• 1 large organic free-range egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Simply whisk all these ingredients together (like scrambled eggs) in a cake or pie pan. 

Warm the oven to hold your completed French Toast. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle pan on the stove over medium heat. When heated, drop a dash of vegan butter into the pan and swirl it around to coat the surface.

One at a time, coat the slices of cornbread in the egg batter. Place one side down, then flip it over and place in the skillet. Cook like you would a pancake, about 2 - 3 minutes per side. 

Place your cooked French Toast slices in the warmed oven until the batch is done. 

Serve with vegan butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and warm Vermont Maple Syrup.

Makes 8 slices of French Toast