Compton Vegan Cornbread
By Lemel Durrah (@ComptonVegan)
I’ve been called the vegan soul food guy because so many of the dishes that I make, resemble soul food. My business, Compton Vegan, is all about bringing vegan soul food to local communities – including the California community I grew up in. One of the most comforting and easy-to-make recipes I have is my vegan cornbread. Most people love it for the fluffy texture and the amazing smell, but for me, it’s a matter of completing a meal as part of my gift to the world. It’s the perfect addition to a Compton Vegan plate and can easily be made at home as a snack or side dish for your friends and family.
I make food that I used to eat back when we used to have Soul Food Sunday as a kid. Some Sunday’s, my mom would make this cornbread to go along with the chili. I’d always mix the cornbread into the chili – the perfect combination for a growing kid. But as I got older and adopted this vegan lifestyle, I’ve had to find ways to bring to life the memories of my childhood in a way that fits my current diet and that delivers nutritious, delicious meals to my community.
Cornbread is one of those recipes that’s so easy to make and is even easier to adapt for a plant-based diet. That’s really the objective of my business – to bring simple, healthy and plant-based alternatives to underserved communities. My recipe includes a few easy substitutions that anyone can make with ingredients that any grocery store should stock instead of eggs, butter or milk, I use almond milk (but soy, oat or coconut would work), Country Crock Plant Butter and agave syrup. The joy is in the simplicity of it all. You mix it all together, and then just sit back and watch it rise in the oven.
People rave about how moist this cornbread is – I’ve been told that they would order and eat it by itself as a mid-day snack if they could! Happy cookin’!
DID YOU KNOW? Lemel’s Vegan Compton cornbread doesn’t use any dairy products! By switching to almond milk and plant butter instead, this recipe saves 1.3 kg CO2-eq. This is equivalent to charging a smartphone over 160 nights.
*Based on published research
Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers, by J. Poore & T. Nemecek. 2018.
Large-scale regionalised LCA shows that plant-based fat spreads have a lower climate, land occupation and water scarcity impact than dairy butter. 2020.
For more information see https://upfield.com/purpose/environmental-footprint/
Ingredients
- 120g or 1 cup cornmeal
- 120g or 1 cup flour
- 2g or 1 tsp baking soda
- 15g or 1 tbsp baking powder
- 125ml or 1/2 cup water
- 227g or 2/3 cup agave syrup
- 125ml or 1/2 cup almond milk
- 113g or 1/2 cup Country Crock Plant Butter Olive Oil, melted
- Coconut oil spray
Instructions
(time est. approx. 30 minutes)
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Pour in the liquid ingredients, whisk and set aside. (Note: If the batter is too thick, add an additional 15-30ml or 1-2 tbsp of almond milk.)
- Spray a muffin/cupcake baking pan with coconut oil spray, and scoop approx. 110g or 1/3 cup of cornbread batter into each mold of the pan.
- Place the pan in the oven for 18-21 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven, and let the cornbread cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Best served with melted plant butter or agave syrup on top, enjoy!
A diet that is mostly made up of plants is better for you and for the planet.
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