Recipe: Chicken Vegetable Casserole with Shells Pasta

From Denny: This is an easy weekend casserole the whole family and friends who drop by unexpectedly can enjoy!

From: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The contributors: La Tarsha Mills-McKie of College Park and her mother, Blanche Mills of East Point, Georgia.

Hands on time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 6


Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 4 thighs)

1 quart chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 ounces sliced crimini mushrooms

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup frozen peas

8 ounces medium shells

Salt and pepper to taste

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese


Instructions:

Place chicken in a pot and cover with broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and cool slightly, then cut into small cubes. Set aside 1 cup broth.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sear, without stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned. Then stir the mushrooms and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook 3 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peas and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the shells in the remaining broth or in a fresh pot of salted, boiling water. When the pasta is cooked, drain. Combine cooked pasta with chicken, condensed soup, vegetables and reserved cup of broth; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a lightly greased 2-quart casserole or 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 411 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 36 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 12 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 53 milligrams cholesterol, 1,050 milligrams sodium.

Recipe: Coconut Chocolate Pudding

From Denny: OK, two of my favorites are coconut and chocolate in a happy marriage with me as the happy child enjoying the company of both! :) From 101 Cookbooks, she really outdid herself developing this awesome recipe. Any time you add a dry roasted ingredient to a dish it really kicks up the taste, in this case she used coconut flakes. Take a look at the rest of her site as there are varied recipes for everyone to enjoy!

Coconut Chocolate Pudding

"I used Scharffen Berger 62% semi-sweet chocolate in this pudding, I also did a batch with 70% - delicious. You can play around with a few of the variables here. For example, it might be fun to use one of the uniquely spiced Vosges chocolate bars in place of the straight semi-sweet. I used raz el hanout spice blend here - but you should feel free to experiment with your favorite curry spice blend. If you want to use regular or low-fat milk in place of the coconut milk, give it a go. For a more pronounced coconut flavor, you might want to add a small splash of coconut extract."

Ingredients:

1 14-ounce can of coconut milk (lite is fine), divided

3 tablespoons sugar

scant 1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup arrowroot powder, sifted

1 teaspoon raz el hanout spice blend or curry powder, (optional)

3 tablespoons alkalized dutch-cocoa powder, sifted

1 3.5-ounce bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted in a dry skillet


Directions:

Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sugar, and the salt (just) to a simmer over low heat.

While that is heating, in a separate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot powder, spice blend (or curry powder), and cocoa powder. It should look like a chocolate frosting.

When the coconut milk and sugar mixture has started simmering take about 1/4 cup of it and whisk it little by little into the arrowroot mixture, creating a slurry. Turn down the heat to the very lowest setting.

Now drizzle the arrowroot slurry mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk whisking vigorously all the while. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up barely to a simmer and thickens up a bit, about a minute.

Remove the saucepan from heat, continue whisking while it is cooling for about a minute. Now whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Keep stirring until the pudding is smooth.

Place in a refrigerator to chill thoroughly. To prevent a skin from forming press plastic up against the surface of the pudding. Serve dusted with the coconut flakes and a tiny pinch of spices (or curry powder).

Serves four. (From Denny: Like 4 people would even get the chance in my house!)

Recipe: Sunchoke and Cauliflower Soup

From Denny: Touted as a rock star on the food scene in New Orleans comes a simple recipe anyone can do! I love sunchokes and cauliflower in soups and this one is a winner for both taste and healthy! How can you go wrong with cheese toast?

Here's an excerpt from the article about him from Country Roads Magazine. For the rest of the interesting article, go here:

Appearing on Food & Wine magazine’s cover as one of America’s ten best new chefs for 2007 must be the culinary equivalent of being on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Even in a world of rock-star chefs, Ian Schnoebelen might not have perceived himself in that limelight. Iris’ chef-and co-owner Schnoebelen was caught by surprise by the honor although Food & Wine‘s representatives had been calling the restaurant and asking questions.

“I was excited they were interested in the restaurant but had no idea they had chosen me for best new chefs,” Schnoebelen said. As far as seeing himself on the magazine’s cover, he said, “It was great, especially for business, but a little embarrassing.”

Schnoebelen will have to get used to the attention. He’s made the city proud and he’s turning out fantastic fresh cuisine at the tiny forty-two-seat restaurant he co-owns with partner Laurie Casebonne."

From: Chef Ian Schnoebelen at restaurant Iris, New Orleans, Louisiana, published in Country Roads Magazine

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus 2 tsp softened butter

1 small celery rib, minced

1/2 small onion, minced

2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth

3/4 cup whole milk

1 lb cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets

6 oz sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 thyme sprig

1 small garlic clove, minced

Salt

4 1/4-inch-thick baguette slices, cut on the bias

1 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup sunflower sprouts

Directions:

In a large saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the celery and onion and cook over low heat until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the stock and milk and bring to a simmer over high heat. Add the cauliflower, sunchokes and thyme and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the sunchokes are very tender, about 30 minutes; discard the thyme sprig.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix the 2 teaspoons of softened butter with the garlic and season with salt. Spread the garlic butter on the baguette slices and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the cheese and bake for about 8 minutes, until crisp.

Working in batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan; season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with the sprouts. Serve with the cheese toasts.

Recipe: Oyster Soup

From Denny: Touted as a rock star on the food scene in New Orleans comes a simple recipe anyone can do!

Here's an excerpt from the article about him from Country Roads Magazine. For the rest of the interesting article, go here:

Appearing on Food & Wine magazine’s cover as one of America’s ten best new chefs for 2007 must be the culinary equivalent of being on the cover of Rolling Stone.

Even in a world of rock-star chefs, Ian Schnoebelen might not have perceived himself in that limelight. Iris’ chef-and co-owner Schnoebelen was caught by surprise by the honor although Food & Wine‘s representatives had been calling the restaurant and asking questions.

“I was excited they were interested in the restaurant but had no idea they had chosen me for best new chefs,” Schnoebelen said. As far as seeing himself on the magazine’s cover, he said, “It was great, especially for business, but a little embarrassing.”

Schnoebelen will have to get used to the attention. He’s made the city proud and he’s turning out fantastic fresh cuisine at the tiny forty-two-seat restaurant he co-owns with partner Laurie Casebonne."


From: Chef Ian Schnoebelen at restaurant Iris, New Orleans, Louisiana, published in Country Roads Magazine

Ingredients:

5 lbs Vidalia onions (mild, sweet onions)

4 ribs celery

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 quarts fish stock

1 quart milk

Salt and pepper to taste

8 doz oysters

Method:
Sweat vegetables in medium potatoes with no color. Add liquids. Bring to boil. Turn down and simmer until potatoes are soft, stirring bottom of pot occasionally. Puree in blender and strain through medium fine sieve. Add freshly shucked oysters and oyster liquor as needed, about 4 oysters per 8 oz. Serving. The oyster will cook in simmering soup.

Fish Stock:

1 cup fish scraps

1/4 onion, diced

1 celery rib, sliced thinly

2 quarts water, cold

Directions:

Place all ingredients in sauce pot and bring to a boil. Skim and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through sieve and cool.

Recipe: Heavenly Pie

From Denny: This old recipe, retweaked for vegan, comes to us from the wonderful 101 Cookbooks site. To read about where she found it and the journey it took to you just click on the title link. Here is the link to purchase the cookbook at a reduced price from Romancing The Chocolate blog's Amazon store, go here:

"Heavenly Pie Recipe Adapted from Country Wisdom and Know-How. Instead of running this recipe verbatim (like I normally might), I've tweaked a few of the ingredients, added some notes. Serve this pie well-chilled."

2 cups well-crushed graham crackers

1/3 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons honey

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

8 ounces organic silken tofu

1 large egg

6 ounces carob or chocolate chips, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Greek yogurt (sweetened a bit, optional for serving), in place of whipped cream

Directions:

To make the crust make combine the cracker crumbs, butter, and honey. Press into a 9-inch pie pan. I gave this mixture a whirl in the food processor to bring it all together and work out and chunks of cracker.

In a food processor, or with the mixer at medium speed, blend together the cream cheese, tofu, egg, chocolate, and vanilla. Scrape down the sides once or twice. Blend until filling is very smooth, with no visible lumps.

Spoon the filling into the pie pan and bake at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes (when I went to 35 minutes I started seeing fissures in the filling). CHILL COMPLETELY BEFORE SERVING. Serve with a dollop of sweetened yogurt or whipped cream (if desired).
Makes one pie. About 12 servings.