Cheddar Cornbread & Lentil Curry

Since I bought a bag of cornmeal to make the Orange Cornmeal Cake, I've been looking around for another cornmeal recipe so that it gets used up. If I don't, it may just be forgotten and I'd end up throwing it away when it expires which is such a waste. 

I came across this almost fat free (except for the cheese) corn bread recipe which turned out to be really delicious. I added a handful of basil which brought a special flavour to the bread. The combination of cornmeal, cheddar and basil was definitely a winning one. 

I also cooked a vegetarian lentil curry dish to go along with the bread. This is one of those recipes which I have made a few times because the cauliflower and sweet potato lends so much sweetness to the stew that not much seasoning is required. It was also a great way of getting more beans into my family diet. 

Cheddar Corn Bread (9 inch cast iron skillet or 8 inch square baking tray)

A Martha Stewart Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk (I combined half yoghurt and half milk and let it stand)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• A handful of basil (my own addition)

Method

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees (220 degrees C). In a large bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper; make a well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk and eggs to well, and whisk to loosen eggs. Gently incorporate dry ingredients, then mix in cheese.
• Place butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; bake until butter is melted. Remove from oven, and tilt to coat bottom and sides.
• Pour batter into prepared skillet; bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cornbread cool in skillet at least 15 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature. Wrap completely cooled bread in plastic, and store at room temperature up to 1 day.

Lentil Curry

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 head cauliflower (2 1/2 pounds), stemmed and separated into florets
• 1 cup brown lentils, picked over, well rinsed, and drained
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes with juice
• Coarse salt
• Plain low-fat yogurt, for serving (optional)

Method

• In a nonstick Dutch oven (5-quart pot with a tight-fitting lid), heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 7 minutes.
• Add curry powder; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Stir in sweet potatoes, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and their juice, and 1 1/2 cups water; season with salt.
• Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover, and cook until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately with yogurt, if desired.

This is for Cook Like A Star hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Mich of Piece of Cake.

Little Thumbs Up October: Soya Beans!

I can hardly believe it's October and the year is almost over.  I'm excited to be hosting this month's Little Thumbs Up for October 2013 and the theme is Soy Beans.

My co-hosts Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Doreen of my little favourite DIY and I look forward to having you cook alongside us for this event. To take part in this blog-hop, please post your entry (which must be dated in October 2013) at the linky below and link back to this post with the following information:

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake at this post.

The post should also include a picture of a Thumbs Up sign in your photo or you can use the Little Thumbs Up badge:

The Soy Beans theme may include dishes/dessert that contain any soy-related products such as:
- tofu
- tempeh
- soya bean milk
- soya sauce only as main ingredient (minimal 2 tsp)
- sauces/paste made from soy beans such as miso and chilli bean paste

I've chosen the soya beans theme because the soya bean is possibly my favourite food. I grew up drinking soya bean drinks, eating soya bean curd from the market stalls and tofu in my daily meals. Till now, I cook this very often for my family as it's a nutritious food. The best thing about soy is that it comes in various forms which makes for many interesting ways of cooking it. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing all the wonderful soy dishes created by all our talented home cooks here. 

Photo Credits: From Wiki Common

Hummus Bi Tahini (Delia Smith)

One of my goals this year is learning to make healthier dishes for my family and cooking with a variety of bean dishes tops that list since beans are high in fiber and antioxidants. Canned baked beans aside, I knew nothing about what I can do with beans. Earlier this year, I saw my friend Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out blog about a Hummus recipe and it looked really easy.

I wasn't very keen on cooking chick peas for two hours and I was really pleased to find canned Garzabo Beans (Chick Peas) at the supermarket. At the same time, I ordered a jar of organic Tahini/Sesame Paste from the States and used it in this Delia Smith recipe (I also buy organic food like peanut butter and Nutella from overseas because its so much cheaper - but that is another story).  

Making Hummus is really easy as all the ingredients are blended together in the blender. I loved the creamy mixture and the lovely aftertaste of the Tahini and garlic made for a delicious filling for some Home Made Pita Bread. 

This is for Cook like a Star, Delia Smith blog hop event, hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake. Grab the HTML Code for the event here.

Hummus Bi Tahini (Serves 4)

A Delia Smith Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 oz (110 g) dried chickpeas (I used 2 cans or 910 g of canned chickpeas)
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 2 fat cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 fl oz (150 ml) Tahini paste
• Cayenne pepper (I used black pepper)
• 150 ml of cooking water from chick peas or water (I used about 170 ml)
• Salt

To garnish:

• Olive oil
• Parsley

Method

• To begin with put the chickpeas in a saucepan and cover them well with boiling water, then put on one side to soak for 2 hours. Next bring them to the boil, cover and simmer gently for about 1½-2 hours until the chickpeas are tender. Then drain them – reserve the cooking liquid. Alternatively, you can use canned chick peas, rinse them and drain them well. 
• Remove the white covering from the chickpeas before you blend them. 
• Put the chickpeas into a blender together with the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the cooking liquid or water.
• Switch on and blend, adding the Tahini paste to the mixture as the blades revolve. (It will probably be necessary to stop the blender every now and then to push the mixture down into the goblet.) The consistency should be something like a mayonnaise and, if you think it's too thick, add a little more of the cooking liquid/water. Taste and season with cayenne pepper and salt.
• Place in a serving bowl and garnish with a thin layer of olive oil, some chopped parsley and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Have plenty of fresh, hot, crusty bread as an accompaniment.