Green-Bean Casserole Topped with Shallots

Having just indulged in a delicious (if deadly) canned soup / fried onion version at an office potluck, I knew I wanted to try a green-bean casserole for my own Thanksgiving dinner.  I wanted it to be light and healthy, though, with a focus on the vegetables instead of the cream and "fried."  I also wanted a recipe that would have rich mushroom flavor without the risk that one of those slippery, slimy suckers would wind up accidentally in my mouth.  I HATE mushrooms.

The Gracious Pantry has a lovely recipe for Clean Eating Green-Bean Casserole that I was able to adapt to meet all of my needs.  I followed the instructions for the Clean Eating Mushroom soup, substituting low-sodium vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Half a pound of mushrooms (whatever type you enjoy most)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp. olive oil
1/8 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup non-fat milk

Wash and slice the mushrooms.

Saute the mushrooms in the oil. This is a very small amount of oil for one pound of mushrooms. But if you keep the heat low, the mushrooms will release their own moisture and before you know it you’ll have a bunch of water in the pan that won’t allow them to burn. Just get the pan hot over high heat and then immediately turn to low heat. Stir frequently.

When the liquid comes out of the mushrooms, add the balsamic vinegar. Then, the flour, which will soak up all the liquid pretty quickly.

Put the chicken broth into your soup pot. Transfer the mushrooms to the same pot and combine with the broth.

Add milk.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

Once the soup was made and sufficiently cooled, I pureed it in my blender.  This took away all of the slimy mushrooms and also made the soup very thick.  I was then able to pour it over the green beans without added extra flour or cornstarch to thicken it.

I topped my casserole with crumbs I made out of whole-wheat Ezekiel bread and almonds, and then layered on shallots that I had browned in a bit of olive oil on the stove.  I then baked the whole thing on 325 (the turkey was in the oven...) for about an hour.

It came out creamy and crispy, but left me wanting a bit for salt.  A sprinkle at the table made it perfect!

Pumpkin and Kale Pasta with Sausage

It's always dangerous to cook a recipe that you've never tried before when you're having guests for dinner.

But I like to live on the edge.

And I'm so glad I do.

This dish knocked my socks off. I don't consider myself a good cook (in fact, that's sort of the whole point of this blog), but I really outdid myself on this one. I enjoyed this more than just about any meal I've had -- at home OR in a restaurant -- in a very long time. It took a lot of time to chop and prepare everything, but it was absolutely worth it. Especially the fresh pumpkin cubes.

I found this recipe for "Fall Favorite Pumpkin Kale Sausage Pappardelle Pasta" and followed it almost exactly. I subbed in whole-wheat spirals for pappardelle, low-sodium vegetable stock for chicken stock, and fresh sage for dried.

1 package of whole-wheat pasta
1 pound, ground Italian pork sausage
2 cups, peeled & seeded pumpkin – cut into small cubes
1 bunch of green kale, trimmed w/ ribs removed, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups, low-sodium vegetable stock
2 shallots, chopped thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup, dry white wine
fresh sage
fresh rosemary
2 tsp, dried red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
salt + pepper, to taste
shaved Parmessan

Cook the entire package of pasta as per the instructions on the box – strain and set aside.

On stove top, warm a large skillet on a medium-high heat, then add the tbsp. of olive oil.
When the oil is heated, reduce heat slightly and add the sausage. Cook sausage until it is mostly browned, about five minutes.

Move sausage to the edges of the pan, and add a little more olive oil (if needed – there may be enough fat from the sausage to do the trick!) – then add the garlic and the shallots.
Cook until the shallots become translucent and garlic becomes fragrant.

Mix the sausage, shallots, and garlic together.

Add the cubed pumpkin, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes and stir.

Add the white wine and slightly reduce heat – allow to cook for about 5 minutes, alllowing the wine to simmer, stirring often.

Add the vegetable stock and stir.

Cook sausage and pupmkin in stock at a simmer, for an additional 8 minutes or so – allowing the stock to reduce.

Add the kale and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Toss the pasta in the mix and allow the pasta to heat.

Season w/ salt + pepper until desired flavor is achieved. [I skipped this step and allowed folks to salt and pepper at the table].

Serve hot – topped with a generous helping of shaved Parmessan.

This was such a rich, colorful dish. The sausage is more of an indulgence than I normally allow, but it was three sausages spread over the entire meal, which served four for dinner and left four more servings as leftovers. The pumpkin and kale really came to the center, while the sausage and pasta served as background.

This dish was spicy, warm, and absolutely perfect for a cool, fall evening with friends. I'm so glad I took a chance on a new recipe! I will definitely make this one again!