Recipe: Vegan Sundried Tomato Cornbread Muffins
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It's hard to beat the aroma of freshly baked cornbread muffins, especially if you know they are filled with sweet and tangy bits of sundried tomatoes! Friends and family really enjoy these whenever I make them, and are surprised when I tell them how easy they are to make.
So Ryan and I spent a morning making a batch of these, taking pictures throughout the process, to show just how easy it is. The full recipe is at the end of this post, for those eager to get started. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and let's go!
Step One...make your ground flax seed mixture. Vegan food does not contain any eggs, so this is what helps bind and thicken the batter. Whisk 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds or flax seed meal with 6 tablespoons of water in a microwaveable dish, then zap it for 30 seconds and set it aside for about 10 minutes to thicken to the consistency of egg whites (you can use this time to measure out the dry and wet ingredients). It will look very watery at first, but that will soon change.
Next, measure out the dry ingredients into a large bowl: 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk well to combine.
Now in a separate smaller bowl, measure out the wet ingredients, 1 cup of unsweetened organic soymilk and 1/4 cup of safflower oil (you can use canola oil if that's what you have).
Measure out 1/2 cup of corn and 3 tablespoons of sundried tomatoes. Use kernels cut off from freshly grilled corn on the cob if it's in season. Cut the sundried tomatoes slices into even smaller pieces if you wish.
Now make sure the oven is preheated to 400 degrees and get ready to move. Once you mix the wet and dry ingredients together, you have to get it into the oven as quickly as possible to ensure the muffins rise properly.
By now, the flax seed mixture should be thick and goopy, similar to the consistency of egg whites (I was totally surprised and did not expect this to happen the first time I tried it!). Whisk this mixture into the soymilk and oil, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Add an extra tablespoon or two of soy milk if the batter is too thick. Do NOT overmix, or the muffins may turn out heavy and dense. Gently fold in the corn and sundried tomatoes.
Fill each cup in a lightly greased 12-count muffin pan about 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow muffins to cool 2 minutes in the pan, before removing them directly to a wire rack to cool completely, or for at least 10 minutes. Enjoy...with a little bit of vegan butter and a drizzle of real maple syrup if you wish.
Thanks for reading. I hope you try these! Peace and love to all who live.
Susan
VEGAN SUN DRIED TOMATO CORNBREAD MUFFINS
Yield: 12 muffins (OR 36 mini-muffins OR one 9” round cake pan)
6 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds or flax meal
1 cup all-purpose flour (5 oz. by weight)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (4 oz. by weight)
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened organic soymilk
1/4 cup safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup corn kernels
3 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced and cut into about 1/2" pieces
1. Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 12-count muffin pan.
2. Combine water and ground flax seeds in a microwavable glass measuring cup or bowl and whisk with a fork. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then whisk again. Microwave another 20 seconds, and whisk vigorously again for about 1 minute or until mixture is thick and has the consistency of egg whites. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Combine the soy milk and oil with the flax seed mixture and stir until well integrated, then add to the dry ingredients and mix just until fairly smooth. Do not over mix. May need to add 1 to 3 more tbsp of soymilk if batter is too thick (depends on moisture content of flax seeds and cornmeal used).
5. Gently fold in the corn and sun dried tomatoes.
6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes (11 to 13 minutes for mini-muffins; 22 to 26 minutes for a 9” round cake pan), or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan set on a wire rack for 2 minutes (10 minutes for a 9” round pan), then remove from pan and cool directly on wire rack for at least an additional 10 minutes before serving.