15 Bean Soup with Savory with Savory Corn Bread

Just under a week ago, friends of mine Jacki and Mike welcomed to their family a newborn baby boy, Eli.  I am taking them dinner, tonight.  Menu:  15 Bean Soup, Rice, and Cornbread, and for dessert Oatmeal Cookies.

15 Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• Bag of Hurst’s HamBeens 15 Bean Soup
• 1 can of 14.5 oz organic diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• Fake Ham Seasoning that comes in the Bag
• A dash or two of Liquid Smoke
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Celery
• Vegetable Better than Boullion
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Place Dry Beans in a large pot.  Cover with 2 quarts of water.  Allow beans to soak overnight, or at least 8 hours.  In other words, put the beans in the pot.  FIll with water cover with a lid.  Leave it on the counter while you sleep.

When you wake up:

In a blender put onion, garlic, celery, and 4 tsps of better than bouillon dissolved in 4 cups of water.  Puree.  Drain water from beans that you soaked over night.  Dump beans into crock pot, which is set on high.  Add pureed mixture.  Add can of tomatoes, cayenne pepper, fake ham seasoning, juice of lemon, liquid smoke, salt and pepper.  Stir.  Cook on High in Crock Pot for 4 to 5 hours (or until beans are tender).  Turn crock pot to warm until ready to eat.  You could also do them on low for 8 or 9 hours.  Stir occasionally and check to make sure you have enough salt and pepper.

Serve over rice with a side of savory cornbread.

White Rice:

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 tbsps. of Earth Balance (Vegan Butter)
• Salt

Put all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  (Make sure your bowl leaves enough room for rice to expand.) Leave uncovered.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Then microwave for 17 minutes on 1/2 power.  Fluff with fork.  Then serve.  Serves 2.  This recipe might serve more in your family, but in our family this serves 2 ;o)

Savory Corn Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 egg worth of Ener-G egg replacer
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a 9 inch round pan OR a muffin pan that can hold 6 large muffins) In large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder.  Stir in wet ingredients (egg replacer, almond milk, and vegetable oil).  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  You will know when it is done when you stick a toothpick (or knife) in, and when you pull it out it comes out clean.

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Paula Dean’s Corn Casserole — Gone Vegan

Recently when I was driving home from Duke after serving as one of the Exhibiting artists for an event, Chris (my husband) and I stopped in Savannah to stay overnight.  We decided to do our own walking tour of Savannah.  It was a Tuesday night.  We stumbled upon Paula Dean’s Restaurant:  Lady & Sons.

We assumed there would not be availability, but thought what the heck, what do we have to lose.  Lo and below, they had availability in like 45 minutes.  It was so worth the wait.  I must confess that on this night I went vegetarian not vegan.  This Southern raised girl could not resist things like macaroni and cheese and corn bread casserole.  I considered it both a trip down memory lane and a way to do research.  Out of that experience will come a few experiments.  The first was making (and veganizing) corn bread casserole.  I think this recipe would make a great side at Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 1/4 ounce) can of whole kernel corn, drained (Can also use frozen)
• 1 (14 3/4 ounce) can of cream-style corn (read ingredients to make sure it is vegan)
• At this point in the recipe Paula adds in 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended:  Jiffy).  Because Jiffy is not vegan, I have added a recipe below so you can make your own corn muffin mix.  The dry ingredients of the recipe below are the equivalent of the package of corn muffin mix.  This recipe can also be used to make your own Golden Sweet Cornbread.
• 1 cup of vegan sour cream (recommend Tofutti)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of vegan butter (like Earth Balance), melted
• Optional:  1 to 1 1/2 cups of vegan cheddar shreds (recommend Daiya)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together corn, creamed corn, corn muffin mix, vegan sour cream, and vegan butter.  Pour into a greased 9 by 13 inch casserole dish.  Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown.  If using the vegan cheese, remove from oven and top with cheese.  Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  (If not using cheese, leave corn casserole in oven for a total of 50 to 55 minutes.)  Let stand for at least 5 minutes.  Serve warm. (Please note that this recipe can be halved; just be sure to halve the corn muffin mix component, too.)

Golden Sweet Cornbread (For the Corn Muffin Mix component just mix the dry ingredients, the first 5 ingredients, from below and add in to the above recipe for Corn Casserole)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 eggs worth of Ener-G egg replacer
• 1 cup of almond milk
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray a 9 inch round pan.  In large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, sugar salt, and baking powder.  Stir in wet ingredients (egg replacer, almond milk, and vegetable oil).  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake in a preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  You will know when it is done when you stick a toothpick (or knife) in, and when you pull it out it comes out clean.