Black Bean Cornbread with Quick Chile Sauce

After spending two weeks in Northern New Mexico, within a month, I definitely have cravings for Mexican/New Mexican-inspired flavors. Such was the case yesterday, after hours of heavy rain and a temperature drop of more than 10 degrees.

Once again, I looked to my pantry for relief. I began with a quick and easy cornbread recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook and then added three ingredients to create a meal in a pan. Add a generous drizzle of my ultra easy chile sauce, a handful of cheese, cilantro sprigs, and a crisp green salad, for a simple and satisfying cold-weather feast.

Black Bean Cornbread with Quick Chile Sauce

8-9 servings

1 recipe cornbread (see below)

1 cup frozen corn

15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed & drained

1 cup shredded Colby Jack or medium Cheddar cheese

15 ounces tomato sauce

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 cup shredded cheese

cilantro

Cornbread

1 cup all purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour because I'm so fond of it)

1 cup cornmeal

2 (to 4) tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup cooking oil (or shortening, melted)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and set aside.

In another bowl combine eggs, milk and cooking oil. Add egg mixture all at once to dry mixture and stir just until moistened.

Now here's my twist on this classic: Stir corn into batter. Pour two thirds of batter in pan. Spread black beans over batter and then top with 1 cup of Colby Jack. Pour remaining batter on top and spread evenly over beans and cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Quick Chile Sauce: Combine tomato sauce and chile powder over medium high heat, bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

To serve, cut one square of cornbread, drizzle 3-4 tablespoons sauce on top, add cheese and cilantro. ENJOY!