Versatile Traditional Corn Bread Recipe

Vegan, Gluten Free or Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Cornbread

Adapted From Heaven's Banquet Ayurvedic Cookbook by Miriam Hospodar

Quick, easy, satisfying corn bread recipe, goes with all kinds of food - soups, stews, baked beans, chili - e.g. Black Bean Soup, or Jamaican Red Bean Stew.

Vegan versions of corn bread are just as tasty as ovo-lacto vegetarian versions - and nobody can tell the difference. So, feel free to ditch the saturated fat!

One of the nicest things about cornbread is that it's best hot and fresh out of the oven. For most quick breads, this is not so.

Total Prep & Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Ovo-Lacto Cornbread, Nutrition Data, 103g Serving: 244 cal, 64 cal from fat, 39g carb, 7g fat, 334mg sodium, 11g sugars, 1g fiber, 6g protein, moderate levels of all nutrients. Estimated glycemic load 27

Vegan Cornbread, Nutrition Data, 137g Serving: 292 cal, 26 cal from fat, 59g carb, 3g fat, 341mg sodium, 9g sugars, 2g fiber, 6g protein, low Saturated Fat & Cholesterol. Estimated glycemic load 41

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cup organic cornmeal
• 2 1/4 cup organic unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 cup organic unbleached cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Vegetarian Version: Dry ingredients as above, plus:
• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups reduced fat milk
• Vegan Version: Dry ingredients as above, plus:
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup melted vegan margarine or vegetable oil
• Juice of one lemon plus enough unsweetened soy milk to make 3 cups
• Gluten Free Vegan Version:
• 2 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup brown rice flour or powder
• 1 cup white rice flour or powder

• OR: 2 cups all purpose GF flour
• 1 Tbsp egg replacer
• 1 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup organic unbleached cane sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup melted vegan margarine or vegetable oil
• Juice of one lemon plus enough unsweetened soy milk to make 3 cups

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Oil a 9x13 inch pan
3. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. For the vegan version, include the cornstarchs
4. Vegetarian: Warm the milk, melt the butter, beat the eggs, and mix all together until blended
5. Vegan: Warm the soy milk, melt the veg spread, and mix together until blended
6. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until nicely golden
7. Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 or so minutes (that's usually as long as anyone can wait), and serve warm

Recipe Tips:

The general rule with quick breads is equal amounts of wet and dry ingredients. But because corn swells up a lot in cooking, corn bread batter should be looser and runnier.

This is a big recipe: You'll need a 9 x 12 inch pan or larger. If you want a smaller batch, halve the recipe and use an 8 x 8, or 9 x 9 inch pan.

This recipe also has a gluten free vegan version, which our tasters liked best of all! If you like, you can combine the gluten free dry ingredients with the dairy and egg in the vegetarian version.

We've specified organic ingredients for best flavor, no GMO's and no herbicides or pesticides. But it's up to you whether you follow that direction.