Zucchini Mozzarella Grilled French Toast Sandwiches

Wow. Whadda title, right? If you have one eyebrow raised in confusion, I really don't blame you. So many words thrown together, that it almost doesn't sound like it would be appetizing. But let me tell you: this is by FAR the best easy dinner I've made myself in quite a while.

It combines the great, gooeyness of a fresh mozzarella grilled cheese sandwich and the great heartiness of french toast. How does this sandwich accomplish this? By egg-dipping the sandwich before grilling, of course!

Now, I added the zucchini to make it healthy. If it has vegetables in it, it has to be good for you, right? Hmm... well, at least that's what I keep telling myself. Let's not take into account that I consumed half of a sauteed zucchini whilst waiting for my sandwich to grill.

But I really did tone down the unhealthiness of this recipe a bit (although if I had had the proper ingredients, things might have turned out verrrrry differently). I used whole wheat bread and used considerably less mozzarella than the recipe called for, and it still tasted amazing.

It was as if I had stepped in to a diner - there was the sizzling sound of oil on the stove and I could literally smell my sandwich getting crispy (is it possible to smell crispiness? I say it is).

Of course, the easiness of this recipe is somewhat mitigated by the heap ton of dishes that it accumulates (due to the three plates for dipping), but man oh man is it worth it.

Recipe:

Heavily adapted from "Nigella Bites" recipe for Mozzarella Carrozza

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1/2 of a medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 slices of bread

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (1/4 inch slices, preferrably)

1/4 cup milk

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 egg

salt and pepper

olive oil

1. In a frying pan, saute the zucchini slices in olive oil until slightly tender. Remove from heat.

2. Meanwhile, sprinkle basil on one slice of the bread, followed by evenly distributed mozzarella slices. When zucchini has finished, distribute on top of the mozzarella. Put the second bread slice on top, squishing the sandwich down a bit so it all sticks together.

3. Pour milk in one saucer, flour in another, and beat the egg with salt and pepper in another. As quickly as possible, drip sandwich in milk (bread will become too soggy quickly, so speed is crucial), then flour, then egg.

4. Using same pan as zucchini, put a hefty amount of oil in bottom and heat over medium heat. Add sandwich and fry in oil until crisp on each side. Cut in half. Apply to face and smile.
Makes 1