Roasted Red Pepper and Vegetable Stock Cornbread {vegan, gluten free}

I received free samples of Progresso Cooking Stock mentioned in this post at no cost. By posting this recipe, I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Progresso Cooking Stock and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

It’s no secret that I love cornbread. Whether it’s crumbly and dry, sweet and moist, made with corn kernels, or shaped like corncobs, I love the cornmeal-based bread. But I’m always striving to improve on my favorite comfort foods.

Your basic cornbread is full of flour, butter, and fatty buttermilk. It’s unhealthy to the extreme, and I’m just not ok with that. So when Progresso Cooking Stocks asked us to develop recipes using their from-scratch stocks, I immediately thought of ways to replace unhealthy ingredients with their flavorful, low-calorie vegetable stock. This isn’t your typical veggie stock – one cup has just 15 calories! And the ingredients list makes my heart soar – it’s all real vegetables, which Progresso chefs have carefully simmered to release as much flavor as possible.

Replacing buttermilk with vegetable stock isn’t the only upgrade in this cornbread. I’ve used high-quality olive oil instead of butter, to impart a richer taste and moister texture. To add some excitement, I chopped up jarred roasted red bell peppers and folded them into the batter before baking. The result? A super tasty cornbread that has crisp edges and a moist interior. Use a mini loaf pan if you have one, or pour the batter into a standard square baking pan. Enjoy the cornbread on its own as an appetizer, or pair with soups and stews as a side dish.

Roasted Red Pepper and Vegetable Stock Cornbread {vegan, gluten free}

Makes 8 mini loaves

• 2 tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 tbsp water
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1-1/2 C vegetable stock
• 1 C medium grain yellow cornmeal
•  3/4 C all-purpose or gluten-free flour blend
• 1 tbsp organic sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 C finely chopped roasted red bell peppers, drained well (you’ll need about 4 red bell peppers from the jar)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease your mini loaf pan, or use an 8×8″ baking pan.

In a small bowl, make the flax eggs by mixing together the flaxseed meal with the water. Set aside to thicken.

In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.

To the flax eggs, add the olive oil and vegetable stock; mix well. Now pour this into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Add in the chopped, drained red bell peppers and stir to incorporate.

Batter will be thin. Scoop into the mini loaf pan. Bake at 400 for 20-22 minutes. The edges will be browning and begin to pull away from the pan.

Note: if you use an 8×8″ pan, bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Enjoy warm! Let any leftovers cool completely before storing in a container in the fridge, up to 5 days.

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Protein Carrot Cornbread Muffins

Sometimes all you want is cornbread. But the fatty, carb-loaded version just won’t cut it. Especially when you’re bringing a snack to a friend who just had a baby. In her case, health, protein and nutrients are key with all food choices. So I knew I had to step it up a notch.

These cornbread muffins are far from ordinary. They’re loaded with shredded carrots, have tons of protein from a powder, are vegan, and crazy flavorful. Oh, they’re also low in fat, gluten free and wonderfully moist! You can pretty much please anyone with these bad boys, new moms included 🙂

Of course I had to bust out the corncob-shaped silicone baking mold! There are only so many uses for that thing 😛

Protein Carrot Cornbread Muffins, adapted from SuzLyfe

Makes 12 muffins

• 1.5 C shredded carrot
• 1 C gluten free cornmeal
• 1/2 C gluten free all purpose flour
• 1/2 C vanilla protein powder of choice (gluten free)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 2 packets stevia
• 1 tsp cream of Tartar
• 1 C skim or nondairy milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed meal mixed with 6 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350° and spray silicone muffin molds with PAM.

Spread shredded carrots on a pan lined with aluminum foil. Place in oven for 5 minutes go reduce some of the moisture.

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a medium bowl mix together the wet ingredients.

Add wet to dry, mix well, then add in the carrots.

Scoop batter into prepared silicone muffin molds. Make them full to the brim! You should get 12 muffins. Optional set filled silicone molds onto a baking sheet – this will make it easier to put into and get out of the hot oven.

Bake 20-22 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool down enough to pop them out of the molds. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Eat immediately, and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

Taco Cornbread Pie

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I could really go for some pie as dinner tonight” and then proceeded to slice away at the apple pie that mysteriously appeared in your fridge?

No? Hmm, we need to get you some mysteriously appearing pie.

But until then, why not eat pie that’s MADE to be a dinner?! That’s right, this “pie” has a crust of delicious, spicy, crunchy cornbread, and a “filling” of a vegetarian taco goodness, topped of course with melty cheese, fresh avocado and plain Greek yogurt.

It’s a taco. But it’s cornbread. But it’s PIE. I know you want it. And, of course, it’s super healthy – packed with protein, fiber, good fats, and lots of spicy flavor. The whole family can be happy about this one!

Taco Cornbread Pie, adapted from Lauren Kelly Nutrition

Seves 8

• Cornbread:
• 1 C cornmeal
• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 1⁄4 C  sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 C plain nonfat Greek yogurt + 1/4 milk, stirred together
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• Topping:
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 30 oz (2 small cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/4 C reduced fat mexican blend cheese (or cheddar cheese)
• sliced avocado (optional)
• plain nonfat Greek yogurt (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a glass 9×13″ pan.

Combine dry cornbread ingredients and mix well. Stir in the yogurt-milk mixture, eggs and melted oil. Once combined, spread into bottom of prepared glass pan. Bake at 400 for 2o minutes.

In the meantime, saute onion, zucchini and bell pepper in the olive oil in a large pan. Cook until fragrant, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the black beans, cumin, chili powder and chili flakes. Cook another 5 minutes.

Once the cornbread is baked, remove from the oven. Spread the vegetable mixture evenly on top. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven again and sprinkle on the cheese. Bake 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melty.

Let cool for a few minutes before cutting into 8 pieces. Garnish with Greek yogurt and/or avocado. Eat, and enjoy your healthy, protein-packed, tasty dish!