Pumpkin Cornbread
A couple of weeks ago, I wanted to make something that could bake along with the Honey Baked Lentils and could be eaten with them to add some Vitamin C to the meal to improve our absorption of the iron from the lentils. We didn't have any squashes to bake, but canned pumpkin is a staple in our pantry. I also thought that cornbread would be good with the lentils. Thus, this recipe! I invented it by reading the cornbread recipe on the cornmeal box and substituting ingredients as I went along. As is typical of my over-confidently adventuresome approach to cooking, I made a double batch...and it turned out pretty good. The first batch had milk in it, but I realized calcium inhibits iron absorption, so the next time I tried orange juice instead and left out the egg. Nicholas liked it so much he requested it for his birthday cake!
If you're making this along with the lentils, get them in the oven first and then mix up the cornbread at a leisurely pace, because its baking time is much shorter.
To make one 9" square pan, you will need:
1 cup flour (whole-wheat works fine)
1/4 cup hemp protein powder*
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sorghum syrup**
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg (optional—bread will be a little denser without it)
Mix dry ingredients. Add moist ingredients and mix in.
Grease pan and put batter into it. (The cornmeal box recipe said "pour batter", leading me to worry that I hadn't used enough liquid, but the mushy batter produces a nice moist bread.)
Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until center of bread is squishy rather than jiggly.
If you're going to take more than 3 days to eat all of it, store it in the refrigerator, because it's moist and will go bad after a while at room temperature.
*About hemp protein powder: It adds protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, a little iron, and pleasant nutty flavor...but if you don't have any you can just use an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Because it's made of finely-ground seeds, hemp protein is a bit gritty, but cornmeal also is gritty, so the texture of the cornbread is just what you'd expect. Nope, it's not dope.
**About sorghum syrup: This is my favorite nutritional discovery ever! (Thanks, Ben, for giving me that first jar!) It is very, very sweet but also contains 7% of your daily fiber, 7% of your iron, and 3g of protein in just one tablespoon, according to the USDA. It also has significant magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, according to this site. (mg/100g means that the number shown is the number of mg of that nutrient in 100mg of sorghum syrup.) It has a milder flavor than blackstrap molasses, which is similarly nutritious, but it does have a slightly bitter taste if you eat it plain; that's the iron. It's not so noticeable when mixed into things. I don't particularly like to eat it by itself, but it's delicious on Grape-Nuts cereal, in oatmeal, and in many baked goods. I've been unable to find it in stores in Pittsburgh, so I order a 10-pound jar from Maasdam Sorghum Mills and pour it into smaller jars. Anyway, if you don't have any sorghum, substitute white sugar or a slightly smaller amount of brown sugar or honey.
If you're making this along with the lentils, get them in the oven first and then mix up the cornbread at a leisurely pace, because its baking time is much shorter.
To make one 9" square pan, you will need:
1 cup flour (whole-wheat works fine)
1/4 cup hemp protein powder*
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sorghum syrup**
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg (optional—bread will be a little denser without it)
Mix dry ingredients. Add moist ingredients and mix in.
Grease pan and put batter into it. (The cornmeal box recipe said "pour batter", leading me to worry that I hadn't used enough liquid, but the mushy batter produces a nice moist bread.)
Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until center of bread is squishy rather than jiggly.
If you're going to take more than 3 days to eat all of it, store it in the refrigerator, because it's moist and will go bad after a while at room temperature.
*About hemp protein powder: It adds protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, a little iron, and pleasant nutty flavor...but if you don't have any you can just use an additional 1/4 cup of flour. Because it's made of finely-ground seeds, hemp protein is a bit gritty, but cornmeal also is gritty, so the texture of the cornbread is just what you'd expect. Nope, it's not dope.
**About sorghum syrup: This is my favorite nutritional discovery ever! (Thanks, Ben, for giving me that first jar!) It is very, very sweet but also contains 7% of your daily fiber, 7% of your iron, and 3g of protein in just one tablespoon, according to the USDA. It also has significant magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, according to this site. (mg/100g means that the number shown is the number of mg of that nutrient in 100mg of sorghum syrup.) It has a milder flavor than blackstrap molasses, which is similarly nutritious, but it does have a slightly bitter taste if you eat it plain; that's the iron. It's not so noticeable when mixed into things. I don't particularly like to eat it by itself, but it's delicious on Grape-Nuts cereal, in oatmeal, and in many baked goods. I've been unable to find it in stores in Pittsburgh, so I order a 10-pound jar from Maasdam Sorghum Mills and pour it into smaller jars. Anyway, if you don't have any sorghum, substitute white sugar or a slightly smaller amount of brown sugar or honey.
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