Happy New Year!
- vitamentalitywelln
- Dec 31, 2023
- 3 min read
New Years Eve 2023. Here already?? But what a year it has been! I am working at a job that I love, creating something that will change the world with the book that I am writing, absolutely adore where I live, and life is just generally really good these days. I am excited to be ringing in the new year with my boyfriend’s family (as we do most years… it’s just a lot of food and fun!). So that means loads of roasted salmon, veggies, charcuterie and more. Probably three or four options for dessert too!
So after all of that feasting, we are likely going to be too stuffed to have much in the way of breakfast tomorrow morning (I speak from experience)… however, come lunchtime, that will likely change, and we will be on the hunt for food. And what better way to ring in the new year than with French toast casserole!
This dish is something that I think a lot of us have made over the years, just because it’s so simple to make and so yummy! I use sourdough bread, but you can use any type that you have on hand. The recipe calls for 6 eggs (you can use up to 8 if you want to add more bulk and protein), but I have found that it is pretty flexible. If you don’t have full-fat coconut milk on hand, you can use heavy cream, but I find that my body seems to prefer the fats found in coconut over dairy. The nuts are flexible as well, and I have used combinations of just about all of them (I really love nuts… the minerals that they contain really seem to help with my headaches).
The goal with this dish was to make it one of the easiest things to whip up after a night when you may have stayed up a little bit too late and partied a little bit too hard. Did I forget to mention that it tastes amazing with mimosas…? You could even plan ahead and put it all together the night before, then sleep in the next day and you have easy breaskfast. Best enjoyed with friends.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you all get a chance to ring in the new year with people you love, that you manage to do (and eat!) things you enjoy, and that your new year starts off incredibly! See you all in 2024.
French Toast Casserole:
1 loaf of unsliced bread (I usually use sourdough or French bread, but any type will work), torn into bite-sized pieces
6 eggs
1 cup 1% milk
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cinnamon, divided
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup crushed pecans
¼ cup turbinado or demerara sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons salted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
Preheat your oven to 375°F (unless you are planning to delay the bake) and grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish
Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces and add to the dish
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until light and frothy
Whisk in the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla extract, ½ tablespoon of the cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt to create a custard. Pour this custard over the bread pieces and use your fingers to mix it all up so that bread is all coated. Let this rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature. You could also refrigerate this (covered) overnight and bring it back up to room temperature about 30 minutes before baking
In a medium bowl, add the rolled oats, pecans, turbinado sugar, flour, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Cut the butter into the other ingredients using a pastry cutter or a fork until everything is evenly combined and a crumbly streusel topping forms. Refrigerate until ready to bake
When you are ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375°F. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the French toast. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is browned and set (it should look a bit crispy but not burnt)
Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Scoop out pieces and top with a drizzle of maple syrup. This is also really yummy with some melted almond butter drizzled on top!
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