Missionary Bound

 I am leaving for Boston, Massachusetts to be a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on July 3, 2013.  See you in 18 months!

Chicken, Broccoli, Cheese, and Quinoa Casserole

A casserole that I was raised on was chicken de van--you know, the broccoli, chicken, cheesy, stuff on rice that everyone says is so good? Well, I think it's ok but overrated to tell ya the truth. On top of that, I discovered that quinoa really is yummy with more protein and healthier than rice. I didn't think the small package of quinoa would go far, but it actually does supply a good amount. I decided to put some ingredients together and make it similar to chicken de van but not so soupy and thick. Keep in mind I made this for 2 servings and when I cook I usually toss in spices.

Chicken, broccoli, cheese, and quinoa casserole

1 chicken breast, defrosted, then cooked
1 cup broccoli, cooked
1/2 cup dried quinoa
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 pinch garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup cheddar or colby/monteray jack cheese

In a rice cooker or over a stove, boil quinoa in 1 Cup water. After it begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and add the chicken bouillon cube. Cook until it is tender enough to fluff with a fork.

In a 8x8 casserole dish, lightly spray with cooking spray. Add quinoa, cooked chicken, broccoli, and spices. Stir. Top with cheese. Broil for a few minutes or bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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!

Stuffed Avocados

I don't have much to say about this other than...it must be one of the best recipes ever! It is very easy and fast, which is a bonus. How come I never thought of this idea before? Ready? Stuffed avacados. They are to die for. (originally from http://blogs.babycenter.com/life_and_home/122112-the-end-of-the-world-stuffed-avocados/ but I tweaked it and you can can pretty much fill them up with your favorite fillings that would go well in them.)

Stuffed Avocados

3 Avocados from Mexico halved
1 large can of sweet corn kernels
6 strips of bacon
1 red and green pepper cut into small strips (I used a tomato instead of the red pepper)
1small bunch of green onions, chopped
2 large lemons
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp chili powder

 Preheat oven to 450
1. In a frying pan over medium heat, add the bacon until golden. Remove the strips and place on kitchen paper to absorb the remaining fat. Then cut it into pieces.
2. In the same pan, and using the bacon fat, add the peppers, (tomato if used), onions, corn, and spices. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until slightly tender.
3. To prevent darkening avocados, sprinkle with lemon juice. Add the mix inside each avocado where the seed was removed and bake for only 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Basil Pesto Pasta Salad with Spinach

I made this recipe recently and was very impressed with it. Although it may be another salad, I recommend trying it. I packed this up for my lunch today and it was sooo good! I didn't include the chicken because I didn't want to take the time to cook it, and it was still perfect.
*Also, I cut the recipe down to about half, which served 2 medium-sized salads

Pesto Pasta Salad with Spinach

 

1 pkg bow tie pasta whole wheat or plus 

1 TB olive oil

1 cup basil pesto jarred or homemade (see below)

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1 cup chicken grilled, can, rotisserie 

2 cups spinach 

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

1/2 cup feta cheese

1. Cook the bowtie pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. Drain the pasta and run it under water. Drizzle with olive oil and stir around.
2. Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and stir in the pesto and Italian dressing. Add the spinach, chicken, tomatoes and feta cheese. Toss to combine. Salt and Pepper to taste.
3. Cover the pasta and refrigerate. If the pasta seems dry before serving, you can stir in another tablespoon of olive oil.

*I have never bought basil pesto before, and I looked at several recipes online to get a feel for a good basil pesto. I tossed ingredients together, but here is an estimate of the measurements (you can double if you are using normal portion amounts, since I cut it down to 1/2.)

1/3 C very finely chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/8 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese 

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

*combine ingredients together for the pesto