Killer Cornbread

My family enjoys eating chili - especially during the long, cold winters in Michigan.  Chili was one of those dishes that was easy to make based solely on veggies and beans (sorry Texans).  One of the sides that we typically used was cornbread but most recipes require eggs and milk. Last night I decided to adapt.

My wife has been baking muffins from a great cookbook titled Give Them Something Better.  The book is from The Seventh Day Adventist church.  The recipes often substitute applesauce as a binding agent.  I decided to use that same trick for cornbread and it worked beautifully!

The cornbread was a big hit.  It was moist and sweet and crunchy on the bottom.  It was a nice complement to spicy chili sans carne.

Ingredients

1 cup corn meal

1 cup all purpose flour (working on something better)
4 tablespoons sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 1 tablespoon water (allow to stand 3-5 minutes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon oil divided (will try to eliminate next time)

1 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450.  Set cast iron skillet on burner. Blend all dry ingredients together.  Pour in wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Pour remaining tablespoon oil into skillet and spread around bottom and sides.  Pour in mixture and place in oven.  Cook for about 20 minutes or test doneness by inserting a toothpick into center.  When it comes out clean the bread is done.

Enjoy!

Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

The following scripture could possibly be the most often argued about, misunderstood, over used, under used and misquoted in the entire New Testament. The "positive confession" and "name it and claim it" groups often hijack scriptures and beat them into oblivion until the rest of us simply avoid it for fear of being connected to a particular group.  Others are afraid to believe that God would want people to prosper (read do well) and live healthy lives.  Personally, if God wants me broke and sick I don't want Him or want anything to do with him.  I don't believe that is the case at all though. God has empowered me to prosper and given me the tools to live a healthy life.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. (3 John 2)

Changing our minds is the first step for changing our lives.  More people die from self inflicted wounds (obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, High Blood pressure, etc) than drunk drivers and homocides. Basically, we're very good at killing ourselves one bite at a time, one drink at a time, one smoke at a time, and one 30-minte sit-com at a time. 

The Adventist movement strongly encourages a plant-based diet.  I'm not Adventist and don't pretend to know or understand their theological standing on many issues.  However, I don't believe that God requires a vegetarian lifestyle. Having said that, I do believe eating a whole-food, plant based diet is better for our health.  Animak products just aren't the best choice with all of the other choices available to us today.

All things are lawful for me but not all things are profitable.

Of course hundreds of years ago one couldn't go to the market and purchase pomegranates, pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, collards, almond milk, and zucchini.  International trade has made our ability to eat in healthy manner relatively easy.  Yet, people choose to have their minds clouded with absurd science, folklore, and borderline voodoo on a daily basis.

Where do you get your protein?  If you don't drink milk you will have brittle bones!  Plants are incomplete proteins at best.  All of these and all other plant-based myths have been exposed as poppycock by people such as Dr. Joel Furhman, The China Study, and dozens of others.

Eating a nutritious, healthy diet can be a challenge but is easier now than it has ever been.  It requires focus and long-term thinking but can be done. 

Join me!

Forks Over Knives and Thrive

I'm a sucker for plant-based cook books and information.  Since I'm not a "true" vegan and am not a Seventh Day Adventist I have not moral or religous grounds on which to stand to eat in clean manner.  What helps me, though, is reading good books on plant-based eating and new cookbooks to help expand my thinking when it comes to food.

I recently picked up Thrive (the cook book) and Forks Over Knives.  Both are okay and I will definitely spend some additional time with the recipes.  Like using a veggie peeler to make zucchini ribbons in place of pasta --- brilliant. Having additional salad dressing recipes are helpful too.  Not trying to sound too prideful but I believe the things that I cook are better than much of what is out there and simpler.  Some things are just too complicated and the ingredients are too obscure.  If I can't buy it from Meijer I really don't want it.

I want people to live long, healthy lives.  I want heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and ED to be a thing of the past.  Most people are rushed, time is compressed and they don't want to spend an hour discussing odd-ball foods with a snooty person at a health food store.  We simply want to toss some stuff in our car and get out with as little damage as possible to our wallets.  It can be done. I want to help. I guess I could be the Blue Collar Vegan.  Or I could make it sound better by calling it bourgeois...Anyway. 

Look for some tips, tricks, and help when it comes to reversing the curse and living life to its full.