2nd Printing & Good Cornbread

The second printing of Main Street Vegan is hot off the presses, with some revisions. The main changes are to update the cosmetics/toiletries chapter and brand recommendations in the Appendices to reflect those companies that have gone back to animal testing in order to sell in the Chinese market. In addition, the cornbread recipe I put in the ecology chapter didn’t work and slipped through the testing process, so that’s been replaced with this super-yum recipes from the inimitable Nava Atlas:

The planet would be healthier if it produced a lot less corn, the veritable poster crop for the problems of monoculture and runoff from nitrogen-based fertilizers. The vast majority of modern corn is grown as either a feed crop, the source of high fructose corn syrup, or for ethanol. Use organic corn and cornmeal for this delectable cornbread adapted from Nava Atlas’s festive and fabulous Vegan Holiday Kitchen, however, and you’ve got comfort food that honors the Earth. “Nondairy cheese definitely adds a major ‘yum’ factor, so do try it if you can,” says Atlas. This recipe makes 1 dozen muffins or 9 to 12 squares of pan bread.

 

Green Chili Cornbread or Muffins

1 cup cornmeal, preferably stone ground

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached white flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

One 6-ounce container plain soy yogurt or coconut yogurt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup rice milk, or as needed

1 small fresh hot chili, seeded and minced,

        or one 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed, optional

1 cup grated nondairy cheese, optional

Preheat the oven to 400º F.

Combine the first 5 (dry) ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir together.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the yogurt, oil, and the rice milk. Stir until well combined, adding more rice milk if needed, to make a smooth, slightly stiff batter. Stir in the chilies, optional corn kernels, and optional cheese.

Pour the batter into an oiled 9 x 9-inch baking pan, or divide between 12 foil-lined muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes for muffins, or 25 to 30 minutes for pan bread. The bread or muffins should be golden and a knife inserted in the center tests clean. Let cool slightly, then transfer the muffins to a serving plate, leaving them in the foil liners. In the case of pan bread, let it cool more completely, then cut into 9 or 12 squares to serve.