Weekend Brunch Ideas - The Vegetarian Resource Group

Vegan Cooking TipsQuick CornmealBy Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCECORNMEAL IS FLOUR GROUND FROM DRIED CORNuntil it becomes a fine, medium, or coarse powder.This common staple food is often foundnear the salt and flour in the grocery store, and it’sgreat to have on hand if you’re looking to make a heartyand semi-fast meal (fast to mix, a bit of time to bake).Depending on the type of corn used, cornmeal canbe white or yellow; both varieties work equally well inmost recipes. Once you’ve picked out and purchasedyour cornmeal, make sure to store it in an airtightcontainer until ready to use.Cornmeal mush is a thick cornmeal pudding orporridge that is often cut into flat squares or rectanglesand then fried. Popular in the southeastern UnitedStates, this dish is fairly simple to make. All you’ll needis 1 part cornmeal to 4 parts boiling water. You decidethe ‘part,’ as in 1 cup cornmeal to 4 cups water, basedon how much you wish to make. Bring the water to aboil. Place your cornmeal in a large bowl. As the watercomes to a boil, take approximately 2-3 spoonfuls ofthe water from the pot and whisk it into the dry cornmealuntil a paste is formed. Pour or spoon the pasteslowly into the boiling water, whisking and stirringto prevent lumps. When you’ve got a nice smooth potof cornmeal mush, cook it to the thickness you wouldlike. You can let it simmer for approximately 5 minutesto make sure it is warm throughout.If you would prefer using your microwave tothe stovetop, you may want to make cornmeal hotcereal. The proportions for microwave cornmeal hotcereal are 1 part cornmeal to 4 parts water. For example,you could use 1 /2 cup cornmeal and 2 cups coldwater. Place the cornmeal and the water in a microwaveablebowl and cover. Cook on HIGH for two minutes.Uncover and stir. Cover again and microwave on HIGHfor one more minute. Remove, stir, and either eat hotor allow to cool before digging in.Hot cornmeal cereal can be breakfast in a cup—just stir in your desired combination of maple syrup,applesauce, dried fruit, chopped nuts, fruit preserves,and/or soy or rice milk. It can also be a fast, savorylunch. Stir in nutritional yeast, vegan shredded cheeseor sour cream, salsa, leftover cooked veggies, leftoverchopped cooked greens, or cooked beans. A school‘lunch lady’ that we know says her vegan students enjoypeanut butter-and-jam hot cornmeal for breakfast andsalsa-and-beans hot cornmeal for lunch. For a specialdessert, she adds chocolate or carob chips, choppeddried apricots, and shredded coconut to hot cornmeal.Here are some more ideas for items that can ‘soupup’ your hot cornmeal cereal:• Fresh: Chopped onions, corn off the cob, choppedtomatoes, chopped bell peppers, chopped mangos,chopped fresh chilies• Canned: Chilies, pimentos, corn, mixed veggies,sliced mushrooms, sliced olives, kidney beans,drained crushed pineapple, 1 Tablespoon of nutritionalyeast, chopped walnuts or pecans, halvedraisins, or dried apricots• Thawed frozen: Peas, black-eyed peas, corn,mixed veggies, or chopped okra• Vegan ‘dairy’ and ‘meat’ alternatives:Sour cream, shredded cheese, soy crumbles, veganground round, crumbled vegan sausage, choppedTofurky, or chopped seitan• Sweet: Applesauce, chopped canned or dried fruit,mashed bananas, maple syrup, molasses, choppednuts, peanut butter, carob chips, vegan fruit-flavoredyogurt, or non-hydrogenated vegan margarineIf you allow yourself an occasional indulgence, preparehot-water cornbread. Prepare one of the hot cornmealrecipes, omitting half the called-for liquid tocreate a stiff batter. Drop the cornbread batter byspoonfuls into hot vegetable oil and deep fry untilgolden and crispy. This is a traditional Southern dish.14 Issue One 2009 VEGETARIAN JOURNAL