Not Your Mother's Casseroles {Review and Giveaway!}

When I tell someone that I like to do freezer cooking, sometimes I imagine them thinking:

"Oh. Her family must like to eat casseroles." And then dull colored broccoli and endless cans of cream of mushroom soup come to mind.

Doesn't that sound appetizing? Especially with a touch of freezer burn thrown in! Eeeeewwwww...

In actuality, I don't cook a ton of casseroles aside from the occasional Chicken Spaghetti, Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Spinach Souffle (all of which are awesome). Since I've started avoiding the use of canned cream of mushroom soup (due to the MSG), I have not sought out casserole recipes.

Enter my latest cookbook--Not Your Mother's Casseroles!

(Disclaimer: I love my mom, and she didn't actually make a lot of casseroles)

Faith Durand introduces the casserole in a new light, combining the ease of a one-dish meal with fresh and creative ingredients. I was drawn in by the inviting names of her recipes. Baked Ravioli with Homemade White Sauce and Crunchy Herbed Topping, Lemony Chicken Pot Pie with Parsley Biscuit Crust, and Jambalaya with Bacon, Artichokes, and Shrimp? Count me in! Goodbye canned soups, sodium-loaded dry soup packets, and velveeta...

Baked Coconut Rice With Spices

I ended up tackling two of Faith's baked rice recipes for starters. The first one I tried was Baked Coconut Rice with Spices...rice cooked in coconut milk and water with a dollop of butter and some yummy cinnamon and pepper. We ate it with sticky chicken and broccoli and it was subtlety sweet and cinnamony. Delicious!

Next up, Lemon Pilaf with Salmon. This dish was lovely. Salmon is a treat around here, so my husband was excited about this meal! I used homemade chicken broth made from Sticky Chicken, which made the rice wonderfully nutritious.

Lemon Pilaf With Salmon

Casserole Dish Needed: 3-quart (or larger) Dutch oven or other stovetop-to-oven pot with lid {I used my deep skillet Caphelon pan}

Bake Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients: 

4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth {like I mentioned, I used this homemade broth}

2 tablespoons unsalted butter {I used salted, since that's what I always have on hand}

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

Zest and juice of 2 lemons, plus an additional lemon, sliced, for serving

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

1 pound salmon fillets {I used frozen salmon}

Small handful (about 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped {courtesy of my fall container garden!}

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease the Dutch oven with olive oil. In a medium-0size saucepan, heat the chicken broth to boiling. Lower the heat and keep the broth at a light simmer. 

2. Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter foams, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened and fragrant. Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. 

3. Pour in the hot chicken broth and stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaf, salt, adn pepper. Bring to a boil. Drizzle the top of the dish with olive oil.

4. Cover the baking dish with a lid or a double layer of aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is beginning to be tender.

5. Remove the lid or foil carefully, as there will be a great deal of hot steam in the dish. Lay the salmon across the top and bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, or until just done. Lift the salmon out onto a serving dish and fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Copyright: Faith Durand {with exception of italicized notes}. Used by permission.

A few other notes about the Not Your Mother's Casseroles Cookbook:

A fun, slightly unusual ingredient that many of her recipes call for is smoked paprika. I have yet to buy some, but I'm eager to try out this new spice!

The cookbook does not have photos of each recipe. For someone who loves to find recipes on gorgeous picture-laden blogs, this is a drawback to me. However, each recipe has a mouth-watering description, which is helpful.

I have found that most of the recipes in Not Your Mother's Casseroles call for at least 1-2 ingredients that I may not have on hand. Therefore, I need to plan ahead a little bit when I break out this cookbook. So far, the results have been worth it.

I have not yet made a freezer-version of any of Faith's recipes, but I'm curious to try. :) The Oven Breakfast Burritos with Chorizo and Beans might be a good place to start...

Want to win a copy of Not Your Mother's Casseroles? Just leave a comment on this post. Leave your email addy so I can contact you if you're the winner! :) I'd love to know what your favorite casserole is!

Additional entries (leave a comment for each):
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Giveaway ends on March 16th. Open to US/Canadian residents.



 P.S. Did I mention that one of my favorite bloggers, Jessica Fisher from Life as Mom, is writing the Freezer Cooking edition of the "Not Your Mother's..." cookbook line-up? I'm so excited about it and can't wait to see it once it's published!


Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of Not Your Mother's Casseroles to review. All opinions are 100% my own! This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. 

Linked to Made By You Monday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesday.

Not Your Mother's Casseroles {Review and Giveaway!}