Skillet Cornbread and Smoky Sautéed Mushrooms

I love bread. And I LOVE cornbread. When I started getting interested in nutrition, my first foray into obsessive food limiting was adhering to the pH (acid/alkaline) diet. I distinctly remember reading that corn is acidic and therefore I began avoiding corn anything and everything (popcorn, corn on the cob, corn flour, mais, corn bread, corn kernels in my salad… I know I sound like Bubba in Forrest Gump, minus the shrimp)…cue the “orthorexia” police. If you don’t know what orthorexia is, the definition is below. I think that almost anyone in the nutrition or health field has either been slightly orthorexic or dealt with orthorexic individuals. Point is- as I bordered on orthorexia, I refused to eat anything with corn. That is, until I realized that the notion was totally nuts and that corn is yummy, it comes from the earth, it’s natural (when its not GMO…but I live in Europe so there’s much less of a risk for that kind of thing) and it can be the base of many plant based whole foods. So yes, I eat corn again. And the other day I made some of the most delicious skillet corn bread. I paired it with a batch of smoky sautéed mushrooms and it was divine. Recipes below.

But first, a short lesson in nutrition (an interesting disorder discovery that has only recently been considered an ED…and the horrors and unfortunate proliferation of genetically modified foods).

• Orthorexia (definition from Wikipedia): Orthorexia nervosa (also known as orthorexia) is a proposed distinct eating disorder characterized by extreme or excessive preoccupation with eating food believed to be healthy. The term was introduced in 1997 by American physician Steven Bratman, M.D., who suggests that in some susceptible people, dietary restrictions intended to promote health may paradoxically lead to unhealthy consequences, such as social isolation, anxiety, loss of ability to eat in a natural, intuitive manner, reduced interest in the full range of other healthy human activities, and, in rare cases, severe malnutrition or even death. (more info found here: Orthorexia.com)

• GMO: GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering, or GE. This relatively new science creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacteria and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods. Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit. (source: Non GMO Project)

OK and now the fun stuff… Cornbread (non gmo!) and mushrooms!

Skillet Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax meal and 5 tbsp warm water
• 1 ½ cup fine grain cornmeal
• 1 cup gluten free oat flour
• ¼ cup almond flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ cup organic unrefined sunflower oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• Sea salt to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 200C (400F) and spray a 10-in cast iron skillet with olive oil
• Combine the almond milk with the apple cider vinegar in a bowl and let sit until it curdles about five minutes.
• Combine the warm water with the flax meal and let sit for five minutes until a gel is formed
• In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, oat and almond flour, baking powder, cumin, paprika and salt
• Once the five minutes have passed, add the flaxmeal mixture to the milk mixture. Then mix in the oil and maple syrup. Stir until totally combined
• Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined
• Pour into the skillet and bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
• Serve and enjoy! (store leftovers in an airtight container)

*I found this recipe on keepinitkind.com and only altered it slightly. For the original recipe, go here: Vegan Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread)

Smoky sautéed mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 lb button mushrooms washed and sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp liquid smoke (pref. natural and organic)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic for about 2 min
• Add the mushrooms and sauté on medium heat until all the liquid has evaporated and they look just about done
• Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until well done and the mushrooms have browned a bit
• Serve and enjoy!