Savory Vegan Corn Bread with a Twist

Cornbread is a staple food during Thanksgiving dinner and also makes a delicious side dish to almost any meal. This vegan version is made with corn meal, corn flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pumpkin puree and white bean puree are added to the cornmeal batter for a richer flavor, color, aroma and wonderful moisture. Instead of buttermilk, soymilk and cider vinegar are used. This recipe also contains vegetable oil and does not contain any eggs or milk.

You can use a skillet, baking dish, or casserole dish for pouring the batter and baking the cornbread. You need to prepare the pumpkin or winter squash puree, as well as the white bean puree beforehand. You can use canned pumpkin puree or make it at home. To puree pumpkin, you need to cook it until tender then scoop out the flesh and puree it in the food processor until you get a nice and smooth consistency. You can also pass the pumpkin through a sieve to get rid o any lumps. One of the fastest ways of cooking the pumpkin is to cut it into large cubes and boil or steam it. It is better to steam because the flavor and color of the pumpkin is better retained this way. To get the most out of the flavor, roast the halved or quartered pumpkin in a 400 degrees F oven for about 40 minutes or until the flesh is tender.

For the white beans, you also need to cook it until it turns mushy and then puree it using an immersion blender or in a regular blender. Soak it in water overnight to soften the skin and make it easier and quicker to cook. The soymilk and vinegar should be allowed to sit for a while until the soymilk coagulates before adding it to the rest of the ingredients.