I’ll be candid with you; when I first glanced through Alicia Silverstone’s cookbook The Kind Diet, I was a little skeptical.  Her recipes all seemed very simple and without potential to wow me.  I was so very, very wrong.  She’s got a unique way of bringing together a few simple ingredients to make a dazzling entrée or side dish worth remember and making again.  Her recipe for cornbread changed my attitude about cornbread altogether.  It’s never been a food I was a big fan of; until now.  It’s just sweet enough to suggest it could find a home in the dessert category, but it’s also hearty enough to be a heavy side dish. 

I’ve posted it on The Green Beet not just because it’s delicious but because it’s an ingredient used in the Thanksgiving Tofu recipe.  The recipe permits you to skip using the cornbread; however, it’s the sweet, crunchy flavor derived from this recipe that ties all of the flavors in the Thanksgiving Tofu together.      

Note: If you’re making Thanksgiving Tofu, you’ll want to seriously plan ahead for this meal.  The cornbread can be made a day in advance.


Cornbread

 

Ingredients

1              Cup sorghum or maple syrup (I used maple syrup)
1 1/4      Cups soy milk
1/4         Cup safflower oil
1 1/2      Cups cornmeal
1/2         Cup whole wheat pastry flour
1              Tsp baking soda
1/2         Tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 400⁰ F. Oil a 9” X  9” (or similar size) baking dish.

2) In a medium bowl, combine the maple syrup, soy milk, and safflower oil.  Mix well. 

3) In a second bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Combine the dry mixture with the wet mixture, and mix just until well combined.

4) Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean).  The cornbread will be golden brown.