Chili-Chipotle Corn MuffinsVegan And Gluten Free

Gluten free muffin with corn, diced green chili and Daiya cheese.

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A Great Side Dish
You don't usually think of a muffin as a side dish but perhaps you should. It is, after all, a grain and can carry with it some other goodies. In this case, whole kernel corn, diced green chiles and Daiya vegan "cheese." It makes a great side dish for a morning tofu or egg scramble or a raw fruit salad. And when accompanying a big green salad, it makes the perfect lunch. 

To ensure that you are avoiding GMO corn, always select organic corn kernels and corn meal for this recipe.

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Chili-Chipotle Corn Muffins
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 12 muffins]

Requires a muffin pan and best with an electric hand beater. 

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus some for the pan
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
6 tablespoons room temperature water
3/4 cups organic cornmeal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill's gluten free all purpose baking flour
2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
2 packets stevia
1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili, or to taste
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or other non-dairy milk
1 cup frozen organic corn, defrosted
1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chiles
1/2 cup Daiya pepper jack style shreds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 12-muffin pan with some olive oil or, if you prefer, Earth Balance, and set aside.

Prepare flaxseed eggs. Stir the ground flaxseeds in water vigorously with a fork in a large bowl. Set aside while preparing the dry ingredients, stirring occasionally while it thickens.

In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, stevia, baking powder, salt, and ground chipotle.

Add the olive oil and milk to the flaxseed eggs. Blend with an electric hand beater until smooth. 

Add the dry ingredients and blend until well combined. It will look a bit dry but completely moistened. It it's too dry, add a touch more milk.

Fold in the corn, green chiles, and Daiya shreds. 

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the muffins, about 20 minutes.

Before baking

After baking

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Release the muffins and serve warm. 

All corn muffins tend to get a bit dry the next day. To moisten them up, slice the muffin horizontally, warm them in your toaster oven, and slather them with Kite Hill vegan cream cheese or Earth Balance. So yummy!

Enjoy them for lunch together with a nice raw salad.

Nutritional Information
Per muffin: 153 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 304 mg omega-3 and 635 mg omega-6 essential fatty acids*, 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, and 226 mg sodium.

Making Polenta in my Instant Pot Pressure Cooker The Creamiest Polenta I've Ever Eaten!Vegan And Gluten Free

I love polenta when it's soft and creamy.

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Making Polenta in my Electric Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Last month I blogged about my new Electric Instant Pot pressure cooker. I've been using it almost every day. I thought I would love it because it cooks things in less time, which it does for many dishes like beans, for example. But even when it takes the same amount of time, when you add in the time it takes for the pot to release its pressure naturally, I actually love it more for the texture it gives grains (like quinoa, polenta, and oatmeal.) It also frees you from having to continually stir dishes, like risotto.

Making polenta is one of those dishes that requires complete attention when making it on the stove. It needs constant stirring toward the end, it can boil over onto your nice clean stove, or send a flying hot clump of polenta into your eye. It also can result in polenta that's a bit gritty and crunchy. But making polenta in this pot not only makes it a lot easier, but it produces the creamiest polenta I've ever eaten! 

Great for your Gluten-Free Guests

Polenta is versatile and makes a great dish for various toppings. You can top polenta with ratatouille, sautéed mushrooms, tomato sauce, beans, poached or fried eggs, or just eat it plain or with a cup of fresh corn stirred in. Today Doug and I had it for lunch with some black beans (cooked with green peppers and onions) and some pickled jalapeños that I canned a few weeks ago. 

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Creamy Pressure Cooker Polenta 
(**This is an updated recipe)

Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free

[makes 6 servings]

Requires the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or a similar pressure cooker (link below for stove top recipe)

3 1/2 cups water
1 cup gluten-free dry polenta or corn grits 

1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 tablespoons nutritional yeast 

1/2 cup soy or other non dairy creamer

Place the water, polenta, Earth Balance, and salt into the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.

Cover with the pressure cooker top, making sure that the quick release switch is closed. Push the manual button and set it for 7 minutes.

When it's done, hit the off button on the lower right and let it release it's pressure naturally. It should take 15 to 20 minutes. 

After the pressure is released, slide open the cover and tilt it so that the steam comes out the back away from your face. There will be some liquid on top of the polenta. Stir until the liquid is incorporated and the polenta is smooth. Stir in the creamer. Adjust salt if needed. If you want it thicker, hit the sauté button and cook for a few more minutes but it will thicken a lot as it cools.

Serve immediately.

Don't have a pressure cooker? Here's the recipe for making polenta on a stove top.