Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Welcome (back), Alley Kats, to what I hope will be several weeks of columns. My thanks to all who have sent in recipes.
I'd love to hear about what you were cooking while we were on break — this would serve two purposes. One, I really am curious. Two, it'll give us more time together with more recipe-filled columns. I know it's repetitive and annoying for me to constantly plead and beg for recipes, but that's how reader recipe columns work. You send me the recipes, I print them here for your fellow readers to enjoy.
This first recipe is from Amy Speers. In this one-pot recipe, chicken breasts are stuffed with fresh spinach and plant-based cheese and served with pasta cooked in oat milk and topped with more plant cheese and fresh spinach.
Stuffed Chicken and Noodles
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (use 1 small breast per person)
- ½ cup fresh spinach PLUS more for stuffing chicken (or other desired vegetable suitable as filling), divided use
- 1 cup plant-based cheese PLUS more for stuffing chicken, divided use
- 1 tablespoon plant-based butter
- 2 cups oat milk
- 1 box spaghetti or fettuccine
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
Cut a slit down the middle of each chicken breast to make a pocket. Stuff each pocket with a bit of fresh spinach (or other desired vegetable) and plant-based cheese. Cook chicken in a large skillet until browned and cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees). Remove chicken from the pan and keep warm. To the skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and 2 cups oat milk and cook until hot and then add a box of spaghetti or fettuccine; cook until tender. Stir in chopped parsley and remaining fresh spinach. Top with 1 cup plant-based cheese until cheese is melted.
Serve noodles with chicken.
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This slow cooker stew recipe is from High Profile editor Rachel O'Neal.
Slow Cooker Beef and Mushroom Stew
- 4 potatoes, sliced
- 2 pounds beef stew meat
- 1 package of Lipton onion soup mix
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (8-ounce) can whole mushrooms
- 1 ½ cups pinot noir (O'Neal used a 350 mL can of Underwood)
- 1 cup of diced onion (frozen is OK)
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic (O'Neal used prepared in a jar)
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Hot bread, for serving
Starting with the potatoes, combine all ingredients except the bread in the cooking vessel of a slow cooker. No need to stir. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
Serve with piping hot bread for dipping. Can be served with rice, egg noodles or spaghetti squash.
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This dressed-up bread recipe is from Anita Rowe. Look for more recipes from Rowe in the coming weeks — she sent a wonderful collection of family favorites.
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Bread
- 1 unsliced loaf French or Italian bread
- 8 to 12 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 (3-ounce) bag real bacon bits
- ½ cup butter or margarine, melted
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix (about a third of a 1-ounce envelope)
Using a sharp bread knife, cut the bread lengthwise and separate it into halves. Sprinkle the cheese on the bread then top with bacon bits. Combine the butter and ranch dressing mix and drizzle over bread. (Mixing this in a measuring cup makes it easier to evenly distribute this mixture.) Place the loaf halves on foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until the edges of the bread start to brown.
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