Quinoa Cornbread

I love cornbread and I mean LOVE it.  Like real love and not just like-like, you know?  I’m also really picky about my cornbread.  I like it sweet, not too sweet, but it definitely needs to have some sweet background to it.  I also do not like things in my cornbread.

Things include:

  • Corn
  • Jalapenos
  • Bacon
  • Green onion

And any other variety of “things” that have the potential of throwing off the texture of the sweet divine bread.  Also?  Do you know when I like to eat cornbread?

For breakfast or for dessert.  Although if you ask me to pick a favorite time, it’s going to be with breakfast because sweet cornbread goes amazingly well with morning coffee.

At least in my world it does.

When I discovered that I could make cornbread on my own, goodness I was ecstatic! We rarely had cornbread at my parent’s house growing up.  In fact the best memories I have of eating cornbread were the little mini loaves that you got with your Boston Market meal.  I know, isn’t that totally sad?  What a bummer of a memory!  The upside is that the majority of the time that I ate Boston Market were with Scott because we didn’t have a Boston Market in my little rinky-dinky town I grew up in.  We didn’t even have a Boston Market where I went to college.  Boston Market didn’t become a common establishment known to me until Scott and I moved in together after college.  Our first apartment in the very first town we lived in together had a Boston Market.

And some of the best memories one can have are of your first apartment, am I right?  You know it!

Okay, and bringing it back to cornbread.  I had some leftover quinoa and pondered if I could make cornbread out of it.  Well I wouldn’t know till I tried!

Andrea’s Quinoa Cornbread

  • 1C Cornmeal
  • 1C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  • 1 1/2 C Soymilk
  • 1/2C Cooked Quinoa
  • 1TBSP Ground Flax
  • 1TBSP Cane Sugar
  • 2tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2tsp Baking Soda
  • Pinch Salt

Preheat oven to 375.  In a small mixing bowl combine soymilk and ground flax.  In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix.  Slowly add the the soymilk mixture to the dry ingredients.  Gently stir until everything is combined.  This will be a thicker batter.  Pour batter into a greased baking dish.  The one I used is roughly a 8×12 dish.  Spread the batter out to make sure it is forms an even layer in the dish.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10 minutes or so.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for about five minutes.  Slice and serve.

Ultimately I would have used more quinoa but that’s all I had as leftovers.  The cornbread turned out really tasty and the quinoa melts right in.  You don’t even notice that there is something else added to the bread.  This bread came out light and dense at the same time.  I know that sounds totally strange but when you hold a piece, it feels like a hefty slice of bread.  However as you eat it, it is light and slightly crumbly.

If you are the type who can dig on things in their cornbread, then go crazy and add in jalapenos and so on.  This bread can definitely handle whatever you want to throw at it!  Some pepperjack cheese maybe?  Or some honey or maple syrup drizzled on top?  Mmmmm!

The bread freezes and reheats well.  And is also perfect for dunking into your favorite chili or accompanying that morning mug of coffee.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

3 thoughts on “Quinoa Cornbread

  1. You are crazy. How can you not love bacon in your cornbread? It is too yummy! How about sage? I also like my cornbread to be dense and cake-like, and smothered in butter.

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