Sunday Chili and Cornbread
It’s not just any Sunday here in the U.S.; it’s Superbowl Sunday. I will admit that I’m not into it, but I do love food and let’s face it, the Superbowl is just as much about food and commercials as it is about American football (or is that just me?). So, today, like many others, I’m cookin’ up some Superbowl fare: easy veggie chili and sage cornbread for the ensuing commercial watching.
We are slogging through February, so it is the perfect time to swap out wheat for corn where we can. Cold and wet Kapha season leaves some of us feeling sluggish (pointing right at me here).
Corn and sage to the rescue. Corn is warming and a natural mild diuretic to aid in shedding some of that water weight that we may be retaining with the change of seasons. I started playing with the cornbread recipe below when I lived in Virginia and everyone seemed to have their own special recipe (along with grits, which is another great way to switch up to corn this season). I incorporated sage from my garden, which I can harvest year-round, even here in Colorado when there is six inches of snow on top of it. How I love this amazingly resilient and aromatic herb. The scent alone feels like a warm hug. I have even been known to go out to the garden just to touch the soft leaves and smell my fingers; it’s immediately uplifting. This heating herb balances Kapha and adds an aromatic touch to a warm slab of cornbread.
I’m pairing it with a super easy veggie chili using the winter spice blend. For just a few minutes of effort, you are rewarded with an amazing smell throughout the house and the perfect cornbread companion.
Stephanie’s Sage Cornbread
1 c. flour (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour is a great sub)
3/4 c. cornmeal
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. milk of choice (I use almond)
1 egg
1/2 c. sugar (if you have any on hand, jaggery which is an unrefined sugar is the sub I use)
2 T. melted ghee (you could also use unsalted butter)
2 T. fresh sage or 1 T. dry
Heat oven to 425˚F, prepare 8” square baking pan with ghee, butter, or whatever fat you prefer to ensure the bread doesn’t stick.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt in a bowl.
Wisk together the milk, egg, jaggery/sugar, butter/ghee and sage in a separate bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour mixture into pan and bake about 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to finish cooling.
Easy Veggie Chili
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, diced
2 T. ghee
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 15 oz. can black beans
2 medium tomatoes, skinned and diced* (see note below)
1-1/2 c. vegetable broth
1 T. chili powder
1 T. Winter spice blend
few grinds of black pepper
Sauté shallots and garlic in ghee on medium heat until fragrant, a minute or two, then add sweet potato and carrots, stirring to combine. Sauté about 5 minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the carrots and sweet potato are tender.
Top with cilantro and lime and eat warm.
*Note: I know peeling the tomatoes seems like a time-consuming extra step, but it only takes a few minutes and removes the hardest part of the fruit to digest. You can remove the seeds as well if you have a hard time with tomatoes, as many do. In Ayurveda, we use tomatoes sparingly because of their potential inflammatory effect, but they are great for reducing Kapha dosha, have Potassium, Vitamins C and K, and are a great anti-oxidant; so two in your chili will do more good than harm this season.
Feel free to add some cooked quinoa in the last five minutes of cooking if you are wanting more protein and a thicker chili.
