Overnight Nutella French Toast Bake

 This recipe is to die for!! It is one of the best breakfast dishes ever to exist. Here is a load of thanks to my friend/past roommate Tori for this recipe!! I would have made it on International Nutella Day last week, but that couldn't happen since I was on campus for 13 hours. So I decided to finally make it today and did not regret it one bit!

Overnight Nutella French Toast

Makes one 9 x 13 pan
6 eggs
two cups whole milk or heavy cream (I used the cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used the normal Mrs. Butterworth's, but pure maple syrup would be even better)
12 mini croissants
Nutella
Butter
Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour a half-cup maple syrup on bottom.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, and vanilla extract until somewhat frothy and set aside.
Cut croissants not quite all the way through and spread generously with Nutella, and close. Soak each croissant "sandwich" in custard mixture for one minute (30 seconds on each side). Transfer to the prepared baking dish and overlap slightly (arrange so they all fit). Pour the rest of the custard over the top and dot the top of each croissant with butter. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 365 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (not pictured), and then enjoy!!

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Here is another great one, especially if you want something healthy but filling. I adjusted the recipe quite a bit since I didn't have all the ingredients, so I listed the original recipe below and added my own side notes for what I did differently. I would believe the other version would have more kick. However, I have discovered after looking at and making stuffed peppers, there are many variations you can try, so have fun with it! This is also the first time I have tried quinoa. It seems like I will be cooking with it more often :) Please leave a comment if you have any questions!! This recipe is from http://www.eat-yourself-skinny.com/2012/07/quinoa-stuffed-bell-peppers.html

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

1 medium onion, chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 Tbsp ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (Instead to add more kick, I sprinkled on chili powder.)

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed, drained

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup Trader Joes Pepper Jack cheese

4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Salt and pepper

(I also added half of a lime's juice).

I didn't use any celery, jalapeno, or diced tomatoes, and I also used Monteray Jack cheese instead of Trader Joes Pepper Jack. Again, you can add,change, or take out ingredients. I still cooked it the same though, minus I forgot to put the cumin in until before it simmered, which I then added in.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat.  Saute onion, celery and jalapeno for about 5 minutes, until soft, then add cumin, (chili powder if desired), and garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Stir in drained tomatoes (reserving liquid) and cook for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Stir in black beans, quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender.  Stir in 1 cup of cheese and season with lime juice, salt and pepper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and pour reserved liquid from tomatoes in the bottom of your baking dish.

Fill each halved bell pepper with 3/4 cup quinoa mixture and place in baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.  Transfer stuffed bell peppers onto serving dish and drizzle pan juices over top.  Enjoy!

Creamy Avocado Pasta

As you can probably tell, lately I discovered what one of the best foods is... avocado! Here is a recipe that is a must. It is very easy to make, filling, and delicious. I apologize for some of my pics since I'm no photographer, but trust me when I say this is worth making!! From http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2012/08/creamy-avocado-pasta.html

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Ingredients
12 oz. pasta (I used whole wheat spaghetti)
2 ripe avocados, pitted and scooped
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 handful fresh basil (I used the shredded prepared kind--about 1/2 Tbsp)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly grated parmesan


Directions
Set a medium-sized pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta, reduce heat slightly and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes.

In a food processor (I didn't use one and just smashed the avocado in a bowl and then combined with seasonings) mix avocado flesh, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, basil and salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside in a large bowl.

Transfer cooked pasta to the bowl. Toss with avocado mixture and freshly grated parmesan. Serve with additional grated parmesan, if desired.

Enjoy!