Born Again: Jalapeno Corn Bread

What I mean by "born again" is that I tweaked the heck out of this recipe to make it actually aaaalmost healthy! The original one comes (I think) from Southern Accents, but came to me on a greasy scrap of paper from my friend Caro about 10 years ago.

Here are some of the ingredients I substituted to make it better for our bods...



Evaporated cane juice sugar. Less processed and in this case, organic. But still sugar, no doubt about it. Whole wheat flour works well in a hearty pan bread like this. Almond milk is what I had on hand, lightly sweetened, so I adjusted the recipe for it. And of course, the biggie - the recipe used to call for Crisco which is a major no-no for the arteries. This non-hydrogenated, no trans-fat margarine worked perfectly. By the way, I know you can't substitute things willy-nilly when doing more complicated baking, but in this case it seemed to work.

Get ready! Chop chop!



CAVEAT: I have NEVER before published a recipe on this blog and there is a good reason for that. I am a freestyle cook who rarely follows (and certainly doesn't invent!) recipes. Things usually work out pretty well but sometimes there is a disaster. I am terrified of "real" baking and have only made cookies and easy (non-rising) breads such as this. If you make this cornbread I would like a report - and don't worry, I have thick skin. (Sniffle... no, really, I'll be fine.)

Ok, here's what I did:
1 1/2 cups non-bleached, whole wheat flour (original called for all-purpose)
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup cane juice sugar (original called for 2/3 cup white sugar)
5 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 to 1 cup (to taste) jalapeños, seeded and chopped
1 3/4 cup almond milk (or soy, rice, skim milk, adjust for sugar - original called for 1 1/3 but whole flour dictates more)
5 tbsp non-hydrogenated margerine, melted (original called for Crisco)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup liquid honey plus more for drizzle

1) In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and chopped jalapeños until well mixed.
2) In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, margarine and eggs until frothy.
3) Add liquid ingredients to dry and fold.
4) Add honey.
5) Pour mixture into greased 8x8 or muffin tins. 325F for about 25 min or until golden brown.
6) As soon as you remove from oven, drizzle honey over entire surface, allow to sink in.
7) Delicious while hot and can be re-heated in foil.



We see you little jalapeños! Time for a trip down the muffin hole!