So you can thank my good pal Molly for this post because she kind of inspired the idea. That, and I've been looking for some savory applications of pumpkin for entering a recipe contest, so this seemed perfect. After an afternoon of messing around with ratios and comparing other standard cornbread recipes, I think I've developed a winner. Let's just say my kitchen smells AMAZING. It's definitely a savory cornbread. It's slightly sweet, and slightly salty, with just the right amount of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg for that fall spice your senses crave. It's moist in the center and crisp and golden brown on top. It's so easy to make, requires ingredients that most people typically have at home, and most importantly, takes 30-35 minutes, TOPS. I'm all about the quick (hello! Quick, healthy, delicious is my blog name...). Baking in 30 minutes? COUNT ME IN.
Pictured above are most of the ingredients. When I bake, I always like to do a mixture of whole wheat and white flours--I think that's the future dietitian in me. Extra fiber, ya know?? The oil is necessary (for all you health nuts), it's what keeps this cornbread nice and moist. The buttermilk adds richness to the batter. The higher fat, the better, but this time around, I actually didn't have buttermilk so I made my own using the skim milk I had available. Take 15 tbsp milk and add 1 tbsp lemon juice and allow to sit for around 10 minutes to curdle. This will work as a great substitute for the buttermilk. The spices add fall flavor--it's not fall without nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Trust me, you will thank me later when your kitchen smells AMAZING! The honey is in there to balance out the flavor. It's not intended to be overly sweet. 2 tablespoons of honey should be more than enough.
First I mixed the dry ingredients with a whisk, to get out all the lumps.
Then the wet ingredients.
Then combine, mixing as little as possible. You don't want to over mix or your dough will become dense.
Grease an 8x8 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until a toothpick comes out clean. It should be nice and golden brown on top. This makes a great snack or breakfast with just a drizzle of honey on top.
If you want to make a fall meal out of the cornbread (and who doesn't on an 84 degree day in September...), you can make a chili. Now, due to many reasons not limited to and including that I am out of cumin, I didn't really make a chili who's recipe I'm proud enough to share. When I'm not in the mood to eat my chili, I typically make some sort of variation of this chili recipe by Rachael Ray. Sometimes I add meat, sometimes I don't. What I love about her chili's are that she adds beer to them. That's right. BEER. It adds a nice depth of flavor to the chili leaving your tastebuds going, hmmm.... So, in good fall fashion, I added pumpkin beer. Because I caved at the store last week and was looking for a reason to pop open the 6-pack. Why not for a chili to eat with my pumpkin cornbread? Seems logical. So using the few excuses for chili ingredients left in my fridge, I managed to scrounge something together and pictured below is the delicious fall (even though it's not fall yet) meal that I enjoyed. I can only imagine how delicious this will be once it's actually chilly out.
Pumpkin Cornbread
Ingredients: 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup wheat flour 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 cup cornmeal 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 eggs 1 cup canned pumpkin puree 1/4 cup canola oil 2 tbsp honey 1/4 cup buttermilk (skim buttermilk works and was used in the nutrition analysis, but bread will be moister and richer with fattier buttermilk) -- Nutrition: Calories: 110, Fat: 4.6 g, Potassium: 92.9 g, Carbs: 15.2 g, Fiber: 2.0 g, Protein: 2.7 g | Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray. 2. Combine all dry ingredients with a whisk. 3. Combine all wet ingredients with a whisk. 4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. DO NOT OVER MIX. Only mix ingredients until combined and that there are no dry pieces in the batter. Over mixing will create a dense dough. 5. Pour into pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and top is golden brown. 6. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Serve with chili or with a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!! |