eHow Video: Cornbread Dip

     I make the world's best cornbread. I'm not bragging; just stating a simple fact. (This fact has been verified numerous times by that Southern husband of mine.) In this dish, I've taken my cornbread recipe and transformed it into a dip! 

     This is a great example of how pureed beans can be used whenever you're in need of a creamy consistency. For this recipe, all I did was omit the flours I would normally use in my cornbread recipe, and used white beans instead. Between the beans and the quinoa, this dip is incredibly high in protein and fiber, while still maintaining the deliciously sweet tenderness of cornbread. Enjoy it with tortilla chips or carrot sticks. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup dry quinoa

1 cup cornmeal

1-15 oz can (or 1 1/2 cups) white beans, such as cannellini or navy beans

1 cup nondairy milk

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup sweet corn

Instructions:

1. First prepare the quinoa: pour the quinoa onto a dry pan and toast over high heat for about 2 minutes, or until you start to hear popping. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover, and continue cooking for 18-20 minutes. The quinoa is done when it's light and fluffy--similar to couscous--and each piece has a little curly tail.

2. In a food processor, combine the cornmeal, beans, nondairy milk, maple syrup, chili powder, and cayenne. Blend until smooth.

3. Add the corn and quinoa to the food processor and pulse till the consistency is smoother but still retains a graininess. 

4. Serve as is or heat up in the microwave for 1-3 minutes.

For my cornbread recipe, read on.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 1/4 cups cornmeal

1/3 cup spelt flour* 

1 tablespoon oat flour

1 tablespoon brown rice flour

1 1/4 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon unrefined sugar

1 cup soy milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon flax eggs (a fantastic egg substitute: place 2 parts warm water and 1 part ground flax seeds in a blender and blend at high speed for about a minute or until the mixture becomes gelatinous. Will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)

*if you can't have spelt flour, try using Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour

Instructions:

1. To make the quinoa, first toast quinoa on a dry pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get out a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn, cornmeal, flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the soy milk, maple syrup, applesauce, and flax eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir well to combine. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.