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.

Vegan 5 Bean Chili - A Heathy And Inexpensive Meal For A Super Bowl Crowd

Feed a crowd with this delicious pot of chili.

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Feeding a Crowd
Whether you are having a party on Sunday to watch the Panthers play the Broncos, or just getting together with friends to watch the commercials or Lady Gaga sing the national anthem and watch Coldplay perform the halftime show, you may be preparing to feed a crowd. Here's a dish that doesn't hurt your wallet or your waistline. And, it's incredibly simple and quick to make.

After preparing a big pot of this 5-bean chili, you can stretch it even further by serving it on a bed of rice or quinoa. Being Italian, my favorite way is to stir it into a big bowl of fusilli pasta topped with Go Veg parmesan topping. Or make a bunch of baked potatoes and serve it over a split potato topped with vegan sour cream and grated cheddar or jack style cheese. But first, let's make the chili!

Canned Beans
I usually make my beans from scratch to avoid the BPA (bisphenol-A) linings in most canned beans. But today you can find lots of organic beans with non-BPA linings in your health food store or in Whole Foods Market. Besides, it's a lot easier to use cans when you are using 5 different types of beans.

Feel free to select different beans but always try to find ones with a BPA-free lining. BPA is an industrial chemical that is an endocrine disruptor and is linked to an increased risk of infertility, obesity, breast and other cancers. 

Corn Tortillas
I use corn tortillas to thicken the chili. It's easier than adding masa harina (corn flour.) If you buy organic corn tortillas, it will guarantee that they are GMO free!

Organic always means Non-GMO!

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5-Bean Chili
Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free
[makes 8 servings]

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or non-GMO canola oil 
1 large onion, diced (~2 cups)
1 (15 ounce) can organic black beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic garbanzo beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic pinto beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic red kidney beans
1 (15 ounce) can organic Great Northern beans
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (28 ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes (optional for added "heat")
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies (mild)
2 1/2 to 3 cups vegetable broth
cayenne pepper or fresh jalapeño to taste
salt to taste
3 non-GMO corn tortillas, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Directions
Heat olive oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large pot. Add the onion and sauté on medium-low heat until soft, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. 

While the onion is cooking, drain and rinse all of the beans. Set aside.

After the onions have softened, stir in the cumin, oregano, chili powder, black pepper, and garlic powder and stir until the onions are well coated. 

Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes (if using) diced green chilies, and the broth. If you use Rotel tomatoes, use 2 1/2 cups of broth. If not, use 3 cups of broth.

Taste for spice. The can of Rotel tomatoes will give it some kick already. But for more heat, add cayenne pepper to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon and go from there). Or, add a finely diced jalapeño. You can also get a can of diced jalapeños and add it a teaspoon at a time until you get the right spice level. Not everyone will want it super spicy, so it's best to make it on the mild side and serve the chili with hot sauce or spicy salsa.

Salt to taste. I wait until now because when a dish is spicy, you may not need to add much salt. Also, depending on the beans and the broth you use, the chili may already have quite a bit of salt.

To thicken the chili, stir in the thinly sliced corn tortillas and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tortillas are practically dissolved and the chili is the proper consistency.

Stir in the fresh cilantro and it's ready to serve!

Serve as is with a few slices of fresh jalapeño.

Or with crunched up corn chips, jalapeños, and sour cream.

It's delicious stirred into pasta topped with vegan pam.

Enjoy!