Mexican Corn Pone and Fancy Vegetables

Because vegetables taste better when cut into little shapes. FACT.

This is an easy to throw together recipe that I adapted from the Vegan Lunch Box blog recipe for Tennessee Corn Pone. http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/2005/05/vegan-tennessee-corn-pone.html

Mexican Corn Pone

Preheat your oven to 200 C/400 F

1 small red onion, chopped

1 tin black beans rinsed and drained

1 jar salsa

1 cup frozen corn, defrosted and divided in 2 equal parts

Chilli powder to taste and some Tabasco if you are into that

Saute your onion until soft then add the beans, salsa and ½ cup corn. Cook until heated.

In the meantime while that’s going on Mix these together :

¾ cup “milk” of your choice--we use Oatmilk

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 TB flax meal (this is ground flax seeds which is used as a egg substitute--when flax meal gets wet it goes all gooey like egg white) 

Pour this mixture over:

 ½ cup fine polenta (cornmeal)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp chilli powder

The other ½ cup corn

Mix well. Spoon the hot beans and salsa mixture into an 8 x 8 greased square pan. Spread the cornbread mixture over the top--it’ll be a bit runny--then bake for 25-27 minutes. When it comes out it is lovely spicy underneath this crunchy cornbread layer. Amazing.

Now please admire my vegetables. I like this combination because the colours are so pretty. I squeezed the juice of one lime over the veg to give it that *tangastic* (word I just now made up) taste. I even cut the carrots shaped like flowers although the Amazing Spiderman said some of them look like the symbol for DANGER--RADIOACTIVE. No comment.

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 We used flax as an egg substitute in this dish--but flax is so much more.

The joys of FLAX.

This is from Linwood’s website—they are the brand we buy.

Flaxseed – Nature’s Richest Source of Omega-3

Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid which our bodies cannot make and must be obtained from our food. The major benefit associated with Omega-3 is its contribution to helping maintain a healthy heart and promoting brain development.

It is commonly accepted that oily fish are high in Omega-3, however Flaxseed is becoming more widely acknowledged as a major source of Omega-3 (ALA).

52% of the fat in Flaxseed is the Essential Fatty Acid Omega-3 (ALA).

Flaxseed is also a great source of Iron which prevents anaemia and keeps the red blood cells healthy and Calcium necessary for healthy bones and teeth.
Flaxseed is high in Dietary Fibre - Both insoluble and soluble fibre. Insoluble fibre helps to maintain healthy bowel regularity and soluble fibre may assist in lowering cholesterol.

And if that wasn’t enough health benefits in this little miracle seed. Flax seed is also rich in lignan. Lignan is a type phytoestrogen - a form of antioxidant which assists in eliminating excess free radicals from the body. Just two dessertspoons a day is the equivalent of eating 5 fish meals a week.

So eat flax and save the fish!