Church Health Center launches cooking series with Chef Jenn

"The series is not only healthy cooking, but just about cooking," said Carolyn Nichols, coordinator of nutrition education. "It's basically about getting people in the kitchen to cook. It's all stuff they can go home and make."

Nichols and other educators offer cooking classes for members four days a week, and classes on Thursdays that are open to the community -- and has been for years. In 2000, the Church Health Center opened the Hope and Healing Center at its current location (a smaller version started two years earlier). The center, which was rebranded Church Health Center Wellness in 2009, offers a full range of wellness amenities, from a fitness center, physical therapy, exercise classes, smoking cessation, weight management and diabetes education in addition to the cooking classes.

Last year the health center published a cookbook featuring healthful recipes, "40 Days to Better Living Cookbook." You can find the most of the recipes (and many others) online at chreader.org. Click on "food" and "view the complete recipe list."

This is the first time a chef cooking series has been offered. Other chefs leading classes include Michael Patrick of Rizzo's Diner, Gary Williams of DeJavu and Melissa Petersen of Edible Memphis. Classes are on Thursdays through May 8 and prices range from $25 to $40.

"We hope that this first series is successful, because we want to do it again," said Sharon Moore, the center's wellness supervisor.

The Church Health Center was founded in 1987 by Dr. Scott Morris, a physician and Methodist pastor, to provide health care services for working people without insurance. While it's been a national model for other centers, Hall is excited about a small section of text on the Chef Jenn packaging: Chef Jenn recommends the Church Health Center's Model for Healthy Living. Learn more at churchhealthcenter.org/modelforhealthyliving.

"People all over will be getting exposure to the Church Health Center through her boxes," Hall said.

Her five dips are in various local stores and in Delta region Kroger stores, but soon they'll expand to stores in the Mid-South division, which includes Louisville, Lexington and other areas of Kentucky.

She's also looking forward to a bit of national exposure late this month, when she's a competitor on the Food Network show "Cutthroat Kitchen," hosted by Alton Brown. In the show, four cooks get 60 seconds to stock their kitchens with items from a pantry to cook a just-announced dish, and each is given $25,000. The money is used to sabotage the competition, but what's not spent is the prize for the last chef standing.

She filmed in October, just a few months after she launched her dips, and the show airs April 27 at 9 p.m. local time.

"It was really a fun experience," she said. "It was a big risk, though, doing it right after the launch."

She decided the exposure, win or lose, would be good. And she won't -- can't, really -- say how it turns out.

"I'm going to have a big viewing party at my house," she said. "That's all I can say."

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Spinach Basil Spread

Makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can reduced-sodium chickpeas

1/4 cup tahini

2 tablespoons olive oil

-- Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup water

1 garlic clove

1/2 cup fresh basil

1 cup fresh spinach

Directions

1 Rinse and drain chickpeas.

2 Put all ingredients into food processor and process until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add 1 tablespoon water.

Source: "40 Days to Better Living Cookbook," Church Health Center

Spicy Noodles

Makes 8 servings.

ingredients

1/2 pound button mushrooms

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup peeled and thinly sliced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti, cooked

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound fresh baby spinach, washed and dried

Directions

1 Coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add mushroom and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, until they are browned. Removed from heat and keep warm.

2 Spray pan again and saute chicken breasts over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and, when cool enough to handle, shred.

3 Warm sesame oil and soy sauce in skillet over medium heat. Add green onion, ginger slices, garlic, red pepper, onion powder and garlic powder and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add noodles to skillet and toss well. Add freshly ground pepper and adjust seasoning to your taste.

4 Arrange spinach leaves on plate or in bowl. Add noodles and top with mushrooms and chicken.

Source: "40 Days to Better Living Cookbook," Church Health Center

Chef Jenn Herbed Crawfish Flatbread

Makes 1 pizza.

Ingredients

1 Stonefire (or your favorite) pizza crust

1 container Chef Jenn Crawfish Dip

1 handful chopped, fresh spinach

1 cup shredded Mozzarella

2 tablespoons Parmesan

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Defrost dip until it is a spreadable consistency. Top pizza crust with crawfish dip, spinach, then cheeses. Bake 10-12 minutes on lower rack of oven until crisp and bubbly.

Source: Jenn McCullough

Crawfish & Smoked Gouda Flatbread

Makes 2 pizzas.

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

3/4 cup diced yellow onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 12-ounce package crawfish tails

-- Salt, pepper, cayenne to taste

2 Stonefire pizza crusts

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Saute vegetables on medium heat until soft. Add crawfish tails and continue cooking until tails are cooked through. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

2 Divide crawfish mixture between pizza crusts. Top with cheeses. Bake 10-12 minutes) on lower rack of oven until crisp and bubbly.

Source: Jenn McCullough

Herbed Crawfish Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 12.

Ingredients

12 large or "stuffer" mushroom caps

1 package Chef Jenn Herbed Crawfish Dip

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/4 cup buttered breadcrumbs

directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Defrost crawfish dip until it is spreadable. Add Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Remove stems from mushroom caps (chop and saute stems until moisture is gone and add to filling if desired). Fill mushroom caps and bake until hot and golden, approximately 20 minutes.

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