We came home on Thursday to trees bathed in yellow and to a half-eaten pumpkin (our neighborhood is prowled by bears). After a week of near sweltering heat, we welcomed the coolness of Colorado. I took out my notepad that evening and scribbled down meals for the week: chicken stew, roasted pork, Brussels sprouts and candied pecans. This pumpkin cornbread came to me a while later, as we were driving home from two perfect mugs of cappuccino. The thought of thick squares of cornbread sitting beside bowls of steaming soup was enough to compel me to stop at the store. You see, I’ve been known to lapse into cornbread obsession. I feel it coming almost every fall.
My biggest fear with a new cornbread recipe is that I’ll end up with dry and crumbly instead of dense and moist. The ratio of cornmeal and flour has to be just right…and you have to add enough fat and moisture to guarantee success. As aficionados of pumpkin will attest, this fall squash can do wonders in making baked goods moist. So when I thought about adding a can of pumpkin to my favorite cornbread recipe, I knew I’d gain brilliant color as well as texture and flavor.This cornbread recipe happens to be vegan. As you all know, I’m not vegan (far from it) but this is one of those cases in which the vegan variety happens to be far better than any recipe I’ve tried with butter, milk, or eggs. The ingredients needed to make this bread are pretty standard. The only exception being flaxseed meal (which serves as an egg replacement). So if you’re not vegan, and you don’t have any meal in your pantry, don’t fear! You can easily take out the flaxseed and just add an egg.
Along with this cornbread, Ryan and I have been enjoying each other, our friends, and our precious girl. We often lapse into states of open wonder: we created this child and yet she’s already so much more than anything we could have fathomed. We’re drinking good coffee, we’re making big pots of stew, and we’re taking walks when the Colorado sun shines brightly, warming up even the chilliest of days.
Vegan Cornbread
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cup soy milk (or regular milk)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup flaxseed*
1 can pumpkin puree
*Or 1 egg
Line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease well. In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together soy milk, vegetable oil, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Stir in flaxseed. Fold in pumpkin puree. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Spread mixture into pan and bake in preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
