Jan 28, 2009: A Different Cornbread Recipe

Everybody has a favorite cornbread recipe. Here’s mine. This cornbread is different both for what it has, and for what it doesn’t have. There’s no dairy and no wheat, helpful for those with allergies. It contains more protein and less fat, for those watching their waists. With only three ingredients, it’s super-easy. And everybody who’s tried it, loves it.

The ingredients are self-rising corn flour (available at Super Foods), egg whites (Winn Dixie carries Egg Beaters 100% Whites), and Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Yogurt (Winn Dixie). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, mix together 2 cups corn flour, 2 cups yogurt, and 1 cup of beaten egg whites, pour into a large greased pan, and bake for about half an hour. Voila!

The recipe makes sixteen hearty pieces. At only 80 calories and half a gram of fat per piece, you can eat all you want.

Try the recipe plain first, then let your imagination go wild. For more protein, I use one cup corn flour and one cup chickpea flour (also called besan or garam, available from Indian Spices, 3462 Eastdale Circle, Montgomery, or from the Internet). The chickpea flour is light and produces a fluffier cornbread with no need for extra baking powder or baking soda. It adds about two grams of protein per piece without adding any calories.

You can make wicked-good banana bread by adding about 4 mashed bananas, a big whomp of cinnamon, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a cup of pecans or walnuts. For sweeter bread, add honey or maple syrup to taste. When you get tired of banana bread, try pumpkin bread (add one small can of pumpkin), or carrot bread (add one bag of grated carrots). Zucchini bread is a great way to use a garden zucchini that got a little too big. Just grate it and throw it in raw.

For Thanksgiving and Christmas, I add chopped onions, celery, sage, and thyme, and use the already-flavored cornbread to make stuffing.

One last tip, if you like your cornbread crispy, make half the recipe and still use the big pan. You’ll get thin, crisp cornbread that’s great for crunching or for stuffing the bird.

If you have an extra-healthy version of a favorite recipe you’d like to share, contact me at marycarolmoran@hotmail.com, or through the Tribune.

Eat healthy, eat happy!