Apple Cinnamon Cornbread

Gorgeous blue skies and a lovely early spring temperature in the upper 60s made last evening a perfect time for Mark to grill a pork tenderloin marinated in Italian dressing. I used up some red and green cabbage plus some grated carrots to make coleslaw, and wanted a starch that wasn't the same-old-same-old.

So I took a basic cornbread recipe I've had forever and added apples and cinnamon to the mix. The result was a nice complement to a great piece of meat, followed by a terrific breakfast item with a generous drizzle of honey added.


Apple Cinnamon Cornbread
Makes 9 servings

2 apples, chopped fine (skin on)

2 1/2 teaspoons sugar

2 1/2 teapoons cinnamon

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup organic cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

Grease 9x9x2 baking pan and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a steamer to 'wilt' apple pieces over high heat, about 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, toss apples with sugar and cinnamon until thoroughly coated. Set aside.

Mix together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Add beaten eggs, milk and oil; mix together. Fold in corn and apples. Pour batter into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Black Bean Cornbread - Take II

If you follow this blog regularly, you know my household is making some dietary adjustments because of my husband's recent heart procedure. I wrote my recipe, Black Bean Cornbread with Quick Chile Sauce long before we had to watch salt, sugar, and fat intakes (see 10/24/08 entry). But with leftover cornbread, black beans, and low-fat organic mozzarella on hand, plus a quick grocery run to get canned green chiles, I revised this recipe a bit to make it more heart-healthy.

Black Bean Cornbread - Take II
Makes 5-6 large servings

1 red onion, diced fine
2/3 pan cornbread
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 can black beans, drained

2, 4-ounce cans diced green chiles
(VOE- Interesting thing about these green chiles versus
the green chile sauce I previously used; 15 ounces of green chile sauce has 15% of the
RDA for salt, while two cans of chiles only has about 6%)

4 sandwich slices of low-fat mozzarella

Saute red onion over medium heat until limp; set aside. Puree green chiles in food processor; set aside. Slice cornbread in half between top and bottom 'crusts.' Place slices in a 9 x 13 baking pan beside each other.

Spread black beans evenly over cornbread and then spread red onion over beans. Spread green chile puree over beans and onion. Top with mozzarella.

Bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour. Garnish with cilantro and serve with stir-fried zucchini.

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!