cornbread bliss

I hope you have a favorite cookbook. One that's seen a lot of use and shows it - crinkled pages, juicy stains, and peppered with notes and bookmarks. Well, maybe not this many bookmarks.

 

I handed over my beloved copy of Moosewood Restaurant New Classics to Miss M while I was making soup yesterday. Her task was to page through and mark things she was interested in making with me in the kitchen. Apparently, this little veggie girl's got enthusiasm!

And, honestly, who can blame her when reading this fantastically creative and accessible cookbook? The Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY is a mecca for veggie lovers and they've produced a bevy of delightful cookbooks. We had the pleasure of visiting the Moose with our dear friends Wendy and Rob about 10 years ago when they were living in upstate New York. I really don't recall what I ate that night, I just know that it was gooooooood. What I do remember clearly is that John played with the centerpiece of snapdragons on our table and made the little bearded fellows talk in a ridiculous French accent, prompting Wendy to snort and weep and laugh uncontrollably. It was quite a night. Maybe the Moosewood folks are glad that they haven't seen us in a while.

Okay, focus. (Thanks for the trip down memory lane.) What I'm getting to is that this fine cookbook has the BEST recipe for cornbread that I've ever tried. Everyone I serve this to says, "Hand over that recipe! Now!" So, without further adieu, here's my recipe, adapted from the Moosewood original.

Cornbread Bliss

1 cup organic cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 C nonfat yogurt (vanilla or plain - it really doesn't matter)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prep a 9x9 square baking pan with olive oil spray.

Combine the cornmeal, flour, powder, soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, olive oil, sugar, and yogurt to make a thick, golden goop. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. The batter should be good and lumpy.

Spread evenly into the baking pan and pop into the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden and gorgeous!

 

Serve with your favorite soup or chili and be blissfully happy. :)