Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Recipes featuring broccoli have been everywhere I look these days (see Front Burner on Page 1E for an unusual way to prepare it).
This classic combination of broccoli, cheese and cornbread is from Barbara Bradley.
Broccoli Cornbread
2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
4 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup chopped onion
1 box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the Jiffy mix, eggs, cottage cheese, onion and broccoli and mix well. Mixture will be thick.
Melt the butter in a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan. Spoon batter over butter. Bake 45 minutes.
Makes about 12 servings.
This recipe is for Melba Loke.
It is a homemade version of duck sauce, a condiment popular in Chinese restaurants. The sweet-and-sour, fruity sauce isn't actually made with duck, but is so named because it is often served on duck, pork or ribs. It makes a delicious dipping sauce for egg rolls.
Duck Sauce
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup plum preserves
1 to 2 teaspoons rice vinegar OR apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon chile powder
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Makes about 1 cup.
Several weeks ago Laura Redford asked Idea Alley readers for "family-tested" low-sodium recipes.
This one comes from Janet Watson. According to nutrition information provided with the recipe, each serving contains just 77 mg sodium.
Avocado Caprese Skillet Chicken
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
20 to 22 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into 4 equal cutlets
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices
4 slices avocado
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 tablespoons balsamic glaze such as Bertolli
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
In a bowl, mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and ground black pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly over both sides of each chicken cutlet.
Heat olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken (cover pan with a splatter screen if you have one) and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side and chicken is nearly cooked through. Top each piece of chicken with two slices of mozzarella, followed by a slice of avocado and 1 to 2 tomato slices. Cover pan with lid and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and cheese is melted.
Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with basil. Serve warm.
Makes 4 servings.
Janet Brown shares this recipe from former food editor and head Kat Irene Wassell in response to Jenny Ann Boyer.
Sweet Potato-Coconut Pudding
3 eggs
1 cup brown or granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups grated sweet potatoes
1 cup finely grated fresh coconut OR flaked coconut
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs; stir in sugar, salt, half-and-half and vanilla until well combined. Stir in sweet potatoes and coconut. Pour into a 7-by-11-by-2-inch baking dish that has been coated with nonstick spray. Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees or until the custard is set and a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Send recipe contributions, requests and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:
kbrant@arkansasonline.com
Please include a daytime phone number.
Food on 04/13/2016