Broccoli/Corn Cornbread

1 box Jiffy corn/mix (8.5 oz.)
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1 stick butter, melted
4 eggs
8 oz. cottage cheese
3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 onion, chopped
1 cup whole kernel corn
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Pour into an 8 x 8" baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 45 minutes.

The original recipe called for the broccoli to be cooked. I decided to use it raw and let it cook in the oven. Reason - to keep it from being too mushy. The recipe didn't call for the cheese nor corn, I added those and am glad I did. For changes, use chopped squash. This would also be good with a cup of cooked chicken added to the mix.

Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole

Broccoli, Cheese & Rice Casserole

2 cups instant rice - uncooked
2 cups water
1 stick butter, cut into small chunks
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 small packages frozen broccoli, thawed
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 jar (10 oz.) cheese whiz

In a large bowl mix rice and water. Add butter, onion, broccoli and mushroom soup. Mix well. Stir in cheese. Pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover and bake 30 minutes or until rice has absorbed water and is tender. (The deeper the dish, the longer the cooking time). Serves 6-8.

Changes - I like this with or without the onions. I also like to add extra mushrooms now and then or change the soup to cream of chicken instead of mushroom. And if you don't have cheese whiz, use 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. You can make a full meal dish from this by adding chopped chicken.

Broccoli Salad

1 bunch of broccoli
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup white raisins
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl. sugar

Wash and cut broccoli into flowerettes. Add bacon, raisins and sunflower seeds. Make dressing by beating mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Add dressing just before serving.

This is a lightly sweet salad that is oh so good and refreshing. It's simple to make. The dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated. You can use pre-cooked bacon to cut time. You can also use chopped nuts such as pecans and walnuts or almond slivers instead of the sunflower seeds. For those dieters, use a sugar substitute instead of real sugar.

Broccoli Salad

1 head of broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup salted cashews, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
2 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled

Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbl. vinegar
2 Tbl. sugar
pepper to taste

Combine broccoli, onion, cashews, raisins and bacon. In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together until smooth. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 2-3 hrs. for flavors to blend. It's even better if made the day before you plan to serve.

Changes - mix 1/2 and 1/2 broccoli and cauliflower. Use almonds or peanuts instead of cashews.

Broccoli & Bacon Quiche

1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1-2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 eggs
1/2 cup half and half cream
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of lemon-pepper seasoning
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using 5" pie plates sprayed with non-stick spray, place half of the broccoli, cheese and bacon into each. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Pour over broccoli. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serves 2.

I've had several people ask that I post some recipes that feed one or two and this is a great one. Now of course, if you double the recipe you can easily make 4 individual quiches or use a full size pie pan. This quiche is different due to it not having a crust. If you want yours with a crust, simply add the ingredients listed above in order and increase the cooking time to 30-35 minutes. I've found that mine comes out better if I bake the crust for about 10 minutes before adding the ingredients. If you don't want to cook up the bacon, use the pre-cooked or you can even use real bacon bits. I also like to add a little sautéed onions and/or green peppers to mine.

Garlicky Brussels Sprouts

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, cut in half
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tbl. butter or margarine
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, sauté Brussels sprouts and onion in butter for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté for 1 minute more. Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until the sprouts are tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Changes - don't like Brussels sprouts? Try broccoli. Flavor it up some by adding 4-5 slices of fried, crumbled bacon.

Tuna Broccoli Pie

1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 box (9 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and well drained
4 eggs
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of broccoli soup
2 Tbl. Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried dill (optional)
1 can (6 oz.) water packed tuna, drained
1 jar (2 oz) diced pimientos, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9" dish with non-stick spray. Separate dough into 2 long rectangles. Press into the bottom of baking dish going up about 1/2" up the sides to form a crust. Press perforations to seal. Sprinkle cheese over crust. Evenly spread broccoli over cheese. In a bowl beat eggs slightly with a wire whisk. Whisk in soup, mayonnaise, onion powder and dill. Stir in tuna and pimiento. Pour evenly over broccoli. Bake 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Allow to sit 5 minutes before slicing.

Changes - Use chicken, ham, turkey or salmon instead of tuna. Change the soup to cream of chicken or mushroom. Change the cheese. If using chicken or turkey, change the seasoning to sage instead of dill.

Corn Cakes

1 pouch (6.5 oz.) cornbread mix
1 1/2 cups corn
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
cooking oil

Combine cornbread mix, corn, egg and milk until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes. Heat oil in a ban and drop heaping Tablespoons of batter into the hot oil. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes on each side flattening with a spatula after turning. Makes about 18 corn cakes.

Changes - Try using 1 cup of chopped broccoli instead of corn. Maybe even add 1/2 cup shredded cheese to the batter before frying. These can be served as the bread of the meal.