Country-Style Maple Cornbread

This is the cornbread recipe I promised in my last post. I have made it many times over the last year and just realized that I haven't posted the recipe. Silly me. So here is my recipe and I will share at the end what are some of the variations I have done with the recipe over time. Adding different toppings or baking it as bread, cake or muffins. It is very flexible and delicious. Perfect to pair with most any meal, and is especially nice with chili, soups and salads. I mentioned in my last recipe that this is the cornbread I would pair with a hearty chili, but I should also say that this cornbread inspires me to make chili most of the time. You gotta have a good soup or stew to indulge in with these babies.

I make this cornbread without eggs so that it is vegan and friendly to my toddler. I also have made this recipe only sweetened with stevia and also a sucanat version. I always use organic cornmeal and flour because I want to avoid genetically modified corn. Organic corn is never genetically modified and there are less/no toxic chemicals used in the growing and processing. That is why it is important to me to buy organic, especially corn. I also add fresh or frozen organic sweet corn kernels to add to the flavor and crunch. I personally love a hearty and moist cornbread with lots of texture and depth. This is it and I hope you try it out and enjoy! 

Country-Style Maple Cornbread Recipe (gluten-free, vegan)
2 cups of organic cornmeal
2/3 cup of organic corn flour
2/3 cup of organic millet flour
2/3 cup of tapioca flour (arrowroot works here too)
2 TB of chia seed meal or flax seed meal
5 ts. of baking powder
1 ts. of sea salt
1/3 cup of sucanant (or sub 1/8 ts. of ground stevia powder or 10 drops of liquid stevia)

'buttermilk mixture'
2 cups of non-dairy milk (So Delicious coconut milk beverage works the best!)
2 TB of apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup of grapeseed oil, or light olive oil
1/4 cup of maple syrup (can be omitted, but adds a lot of great flavor!)
1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce (I use homemade)

1- 1/12 cups of thawed frozen or fresh sweet corn kernels


Mix the flours and dry ingredients together first, then after you let the milk and apple cider vinegar mixture sit in a seperate bowl for 5-10 minutes you can add that 'buttermilk-like' mixture to the dry ingredients. Then add the oil, applesauce and maple syrup. Stir well and you will notice the rising of the the batter because of the vinegar and baking powder. This is a good sign. Then lastly you can add the fresh corn. Add 1 cup. And if you look at it and want more, that is up to you, or save some corn to decorate the top of the bread or muffins with. Mix well and then pour into a well greased 9x13 pyrex pan. If you want to make muffins this recipe will make 12 large muffins. I suggest using muffin tins to avoid sticking to the pan. 


Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven. For the 9x13 pan you want to bake 45-50 minutes until golden brown and not gooey in the middle. The muffins would bake for between 22-25 minutes until they are golden brown as well. 


Some Notes:
-You can sub the millet and tapioca flour for a gf flour mix you may use more regularly. So that would be 1 1/3 cup of flour mix instead of millet and tapioca.

-You can omit the sucanat (or stevia) all together. I like to add a touch of sweetness, but is perfectly fine just being sweetened with the 1/4 cup of maple syrup too. It doesn't change the batter to omit it.

-I have made these as 'sweet' corn muffins and have omitted the fresh corn and had added blueberries instead. It is a nice touch and extra sweet with fruit too. Super yummy (picture shown below).

-If you do not like fresh corn kernels, you can certainly omit them from this recipe as well. I call this recipe "country-style" because of the fresh corn kernels, but you can definitely omit if you want!

- If you do not have apple cider vinegar on hand, lemon juice works as a perfect sub in the buttermilk mixture.

Here is a picture of when I recently made this recipe to bring to a family gathering where chili was the main course. The cornbread was moist and perfect and I was able to cut 20 pieces in a 9x13 pan. So it goes a long way.

Here is a picture of when I made this recipe with the added stevia and topped with blueberries. Making a sweet corn muffin. It reminded me of a southern style cornbread because I think southern cornbread is always really sweet :) Blueberries are also a perfect touch to any cornbread recipe.

After posting this recipe and looking at the pictures again, I am wanting to make another batch today. Like I need another reason(excuse) to bake. It is such an easy gluten-free recipe. And, it always seems to turn out for me, so a pretty basic and simple recipe for any gluten-free friend. 

My hope for you today is to stay warm and full of hope for healing. 

Much love!

Stephanie

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Can you believe it is Thanksgiving week already?! It so great to start a Monday knowing it will be a short work week, and a week to enjoy food, family and friends. I have been spending the morning making the final grocery lists and baking off some fresh pumpkin (some tips here to roast your own fresh pumpkin) and roasting it's seeds. It smells so good in my kitchen! Fresh pumpkin isn't the greatest smell when you cut into it and spoon out all of the seeds, but then after you have it baking in the oven for a while, it starts smelling that 'pumpkin-pie-kinda' smell. It's comforting on a a rainy cold fall day like today.

So, the menu is in process and the last minute ideas are swirling. I am picking up my locally raised turkey tonight, and reading up on all the best secrets to roast the perfect bird. My family and I do not eat meat very often, but when we do, we like to make it fresh, local, and without all the processed junk in it. It will be a treat and an adventure to make this meal and I am thoroughly looking forward to each part...

But for today, how about some pumpkin muffins to get ready for the holiday week. Something special to enjoy the season before it gets too busy in a few days. Also, this recipe would be a delite for any Thanksgiving meal, or day-after breakfast when you either sit home all warm and cuddled up with Christmas music, or if you are one of those running out the door at 4am to get the craziest sale door buster. So, my gluten-free friends, please enjoy the creating a meal process and make something special this holiday season to 'WOW' your taste buds and celebrate all the good things that God has blessed us with. Many blessings to you, and I hope and pray that you find true thankfulness and gratefulness in your life this year.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins Recipe

1/3 cup of buckwheat flour

1/3 cup of brown rice flour

1/3 cup of white rice flour

1 cup of sweet sorghum flour

1/4 cup of tapioca flour

OR, if you have a favorite gluten-free flour mix you like to use, then just substitute the 5 above flours for 2 1/4 cup of your favorite gluten-free flour blend.

1 cup of sucanat (or other dried sweetener like palm, beet or coconut sugar)

1 ts. of baking soda

1/2 ts. of sea salt

1 ts. of cinnamon

1/2 ts. of ginger

1/2 ts. of cloves

1/2 ts. of nutmeg

2/3 cup of coconut milk beverage (or other non-dairy milk)

1 TB of apple cider vinegar

*Set aside the coconut milk and the TB of apple cider vinegar in a a separate bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to create a 'buttermilk' like substance and then add to the rest of the mixing bowl with the other wet ingredients.

1 ts. of pure vanilla

2 farm fresh eggs

1/4 cup of melted coconut oil

1 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (fresh or can)

3 TB of molasses

Optional additional ingredients:

1/3 cup of toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for a topping

1/3 cup of dried cranberries, or raisins added to the muffin mix

1/2 cup of chocolate chips for mixing or for topping

Mix all the dry ingredients together first, and then add the wet ingredients to the same bowl, mix well and make sure all of the oil, eggs and pumpkin puree get thoroughly mixed into the batter. Pour into 12 large muffin liners in the tin, and bake for 30 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. If you want to turn this batter into a cake or bread, that is totally possible, just adjust baking times.

Some of the dishes I am making this week for Thanksgiving!

- Homemade Pumpkin Pie

-Herb and Cornbread Stuffing

-Fresh Pumpkin Soup

-Cranberry-Apple Sauce

-Spinach Salad with tossed craisins, walnuts and homemade dressing

-Shortbread Cookies

I am also making my first, locally raised, free-range, hormone and chemical free turkey- So I will post my pictures and directions for that recipe soon!

I also plan on trying a cranberry pie tart that looks just as yummy as it sounds.

I hope you have a blessed and restful Thanksgiving with those you love!

Much love to you friends.

xoxo

Stephanie

Rhubarb-Filled Cornbread Muffins

I still had some rhubarb hanging around in my kitchen... so I made some sauce out of it. It is kinda like an "applesauce", but made out of rhubarb. And then had to find some ways to use it... like adding it to some vegan cornbread muffins. It's pretty simple and a nice little addition to any summer meal. So, I will share with you if you are looking for a vegan, simple muffin to try out. I usually really like cornbread. It isn't every one's favorite. And some people like to dress it up with a bunch of flavors, or keep things just a simple "southern" style cornbread as well. I like something usually in-between, with a little more flavor... and not too dry.

When I first started going gluten-free, corn foods were a staple of mine. Now, I try to limit myself to eating all organic corn products just because corn is the most genetically modified food out there, besides soy and wheat that is. And it is just not processed well by our bodies because of that. I also understand going "corn-free" for health reasons or "allergies". I did that for 6 months a few years back, which was a challenge being a gluten-free too, but I know it also helped add an extra level of healing to my small intestines. Corn can be a very rough grain to digest, especially if your gut is in a very sensitive state. So, that may be something to consider for yourself if you are still not finding true success on a gluten-free diet...

But for now, I make organic corn bread muffins, and this one is egg-free as well...
Vegan Cornbread Muffins Recipe

2 cups of organic yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup of brown rice flour (or other GF flour of choice) sorghum is a good choice too

2 cups of almond milk or coconut milk beverage

1 TB of apple cider vinegar

2 ts. of cream of tartar (or baking powder)

1 ts. of baking soda

1/2 ts. of sea salt

2 TB of sucanat

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 TB of ghee, or vegan "butter" alternative, or more oil works too

First, pour the 2 cups of milk product in a bowl with the 1 TB of apple cider vinegar. This need about 10-15 minutes to sit and "curdle" to become more like a buttermilk kind of milk. Then in a large mixing bowl, mix the cornmeal, GF flour, and the rest of the dry ingredients. After the milk has curdled, add that to the dry mix along with the olive oil and ghee. Then mix well. It seems like it may be a watery batter, but because the cornmeal is dry and thickens while it bakes it is ok that it is "more" watery than a normal muffin mix.

Now here is my rhubarb sauce recipe if you so desire to add...

Rhubarb Sauce:

1 cup of finely chopped rhubarb pieces

1/4 cup of agave nectar (vegan) (or use honey if you are not vegan)

1/2 lemon squeezed

1 1/2 - 2 ts. of corn starch (mix with 1 ts. of water in little bowl before adding to help it dissolve)

2 TB of sugar-free strawberry jam

Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan, and cook slow for 10-15 minutes until all of the rhubarb is broken down and thickened. It will look like an applesauce texture, and let it cool before you use it to help it thicken. It is also very hot when it the saucepan, so be careful. This recipe can be doubled and tripled and then saved in a canning jar in the fridge for a few weeks to use as a jam, sauce, or filling. I had some in the fridge I wanted to use up so that is why I added it to the muffin mix. Turned out yummy, and a nice little twist as well.

To add the rhubarb filling to the muffin, add 1 spoonful of the cooled rhubarb sauce to the muffin tops before you put them in the oven. Put as much or as little as you desire, and then bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. This recipe of muffins makes about 12 larger muffins. Then bake and you will know they are done when the cornbread turns a golden yellow and there is no gooey mixture.

They tasted great warm from the oven. Or with an added drizzle of honey or ghee on them would be yummy too! They are good for a few days after baking, but I would recommend putting them in the fridge instead of leaving them on the counter to store. They just store and taste better that way. Although I always like to warm my leftover muffins just a bit before eating...

I hope you enjoy!

Have a beautiful summer day!

Cornbread and Herb Stuffing

How do you survive a holiday dinner without some good ol' fashioned stuffing? I don't recommend trying some gluten-free bread leftovers, or some faux bread crumbs or packaged mix. I have the recipe for you to try. It is to die for, and to be honest you could make a huge batch and no one would need to know that it is gluten-free friendly. That is until they would see you devouring it and going back for seconds.

I made this in hopes to enjoying some stuffing with my turkey dinner this year, and let me tell you I was definitely not disappointed. It was so flavorful and moist and crunchy in all the right places. I am not going to go on and on anymore, I am just saying that you need to try and make this recipe next holiday. Heck, you might as well make it tomorrow and try it out with a nice relaxing weekend dinner. It is that good. The trick is really in the use of fresh herbs. They make it so savory and fresh. If you can not get your hands on fresh herbs, then try to use dried varieties. Yet I would recommend the fresh, they really are the secret ingredient.

The first step is to whip up a batch of the gluten-free cornbread recipe from scratch.

Corn Bread Stuffing Recipe:

Cornbread Recipe
1 1/2 cup corn meal

1 cup of corn flour

1/2 cup of sorghum flour

1 ts. of baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

2 cups of coconut milk beverage (or almond milk)

***2 TB. of apple cider vinegar (mixed in separate for 10 minutes with the coconut milk/non-dairy milk) Let sit for 10 minutes to curdle and then add with the rest of the ingredients

3/4 cup of strained goat or cow yogurt, or a coconut/non-dairy yogurt works too

4 TB. of local honey

1 ts. of sea salt

3 TB. of olive oil

1/2 ts. of paprika

1/2 ts. of ground cumin

1/2 ts. of black pepper

Mix all of the flours and dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix the non-dairy milk and the apple cider vinegar in a separate bowl and set aside for ten minutes to curdle. Then add the milk/vinegar mixture, honey and oil to the dry ingredients and mix well. After mixing well, let sit for 5-10 minutes to let the soda and vinegar mix in well. It will start to fluff just a bit, stir again and then pour into a 9x13 greased with olive oil pan. Bake in the pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until it is golden brown on the top and there is not a gooey middle. After it is baked, pull from the oven and let it completely cool down. Cut the bread into 1 x 1 inch cubes and let sit out for a few hours to continue to dry a bit. It is fine to leave it over night covered as well. Then, after a while of cooling, fork out the cubes onto a cookie sheet and spread them out. Put them in a 275 degree oven for 1 hour so that they can dry out and become more like crunchy bread cubes. Make sure you do not burn them, so keep an eye on them.

Pull from the oven after an hour and let them cool down just a bit. Then you can start working on the rest of the fillings.

Savory Juices to the Stuffing

1 medium to large onion finely chopped

4-5 minced garlic cloves

3 large stalks of celery finely diced

1 cup of fresh chopped spinach

handful of fresh sage (1-2 TB)

handful of fresh diced parsley (1-2 TB)

leaves from a fresh thyme twig (1 TB or so)

2 cups of vegetable broth

Dice the onion and garlic and then saute in a large frying pan (big enough to hold 2 cups of broth and the herbs as well). After the onion and garlic get soft, add the diced celery and spinach. Cook for a few minutes and then add the broth and herbs. Stir and cook for about 5 more minutes to let the flavors cook together.

Put all of the dried cornbread cubes in a large Pyrex or Corningware dish (like 9x13 size). Then pour the herb, onion liquid over the bread and lightly toss with a large spoon or fork. Be careful not to break down the bread too much. Then Cover with a thick piece of foil or other cover and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour, but up to 4-6 hours in fine too. Then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and you have warm, delicious, homemade, gluten-free stuffing.

This recipe is my new found favorite side dish. The cornbread is perfectly crunchy and moist and the I felt like I was truly getting enjoy to enjoy the holiday meal. It has been quite a few year of eating gluten-free for me, and I was ready to not just have a piece of turkey and vegetables. The stuffing made it complete. I hope you make this recipe, because it does not disappoint. Even if you make it for a non-holiday meal, try it out as a hearty side dish and I bet you will be craving for it later. Just saying...

Sweet Potato Cornbread

It's time to enjoy some fresh bread! An exciting and fun idea to the gluten-free friend. We do not eat bread very often, and if we do it had been specially prepared and it is kinda a science experiment all by itself. This bread recipe is not difficult, and yes it is not a loaf of sandwich bread or anything like that, but it is a great "bread" to serve with any soup or salad if you craving something beyond the gluten-free cracker. This recipe I made to go with a nice pot of soup I had bubbling a few days ago, my fresh pumpkin soup. This bread paired perfectly with it, but really this bread is so yummy and moist you could pair it with almost any soup or salad meal. 

You can really sink you teeth into this one, it is moist, crumbly and kinda sweet really. Well, yes those sweet potatoes will sweeten almost anything up, not to mention warming your insides. One of my favorite foods this time of year. And a potato that has less the carbs and starchy content so I feel like I am eating more of my vegetables. Sweet potatoes come from the ground, beneath the dirt because they are a root. These kind of vegetables have a way of rooting our beings as well. They come from the ground and have a way of "grounding" us this time of year when we start to settle into the warm rooms of our home. It is symbolic to where our hearts are. We find ourselves not in the flighty fully fresh and green produce of summer, but in the warm, grounding and settling sweet potato of early winter. 

This is where I find my heart this time of year...

Sweet Potato Corn Bread:

1 cup of organic cornmeal

1 cup of organic corn flour

1/2 cup of sweet sorghum flour

1 ts. of aluminum free baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

1/3 cup of olive oil, or other baking oil

1/3 cup of fresh local honey

1 cup of cooked, smashed sweet potato

2 farm fresh eggs

1 cup of non-dairy milk (almond or coconut milk beverage is best)

***1 TB of apple cider vinegar, add this TB to a separate bowl with the milk above and let sit for 10 minutes to curdle***

1/2 ts. of paprika

1/2 ts. of ground cumin

1 ts of pumpkin pie spice ( or 1/2 cinnamon/nutmeg will work too)

1/2 ts of ground black pepper

1 ts of sea salt

Mix all of the dry ingredients separately in a bowl, and then separately mix the milk and apple cider vinegar together to let sit for 10 minutes to help curdle. Then mix the dry and the wet together, and add the eggs, oil and honey. Lastly add the mashed sweet potato and mix all together to get a smooth and thick consistency. 

Grease up a 9x13 pan with a little olive oil, and then pour the batter in and let sit just a second before placing in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Bake until it is browning on the tops and the center is cooked all the way through. Make sure not to over cook because it will be dry, but if you undercook too it will be too wet and start to ferment after baking. 30 minutes should be enough baking time, but in my oven I had to go a few minutes over that to just make sure it was completely done. 

Serve warm from the oven, or when it is completely cool. Enjoy with some fresh pasture organic butter, ghee, or even a nut butter.

To be honest, it is quite alright without even any butter or ghee. It is so moist, and yummy you will want to lick your plate. It is a bit crumbly, if you want to try an avoid that more for some reason you could add a dash or so of some xanthan gum to bind it just bit. I actually like it just a bit crumbly so I can eat all the pieces...

Maybe this is a way to use up some leftover baked sweet potatoes if you have those around from the holiday. I love sweet potatoes and could eat them at every meal. Yes, I am serious. They are so filling and warming. What a great foods from the earth this time of year!

Have a great weekend and enjoy some good company with some good food.

Much love to you all!