Today (November 1st) is World Vegan Day! This worldwide celebration started in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Vegan Society all the way back in November of 1944. This year is the 20th anniversary of World Vegan Day and with celebrations around the world, I would love to know what you did for World Vegan Day and what you made to mark this joyous occasion!
To celebrate World Vegan Day I am sharing one of my nifty baking recipes – Vegan Petite Jalapeño Cornbread Loaves! These loaves are simple to prepare and even easier to eat. This cornbread recipe is subtly spicy, mildly sweet, perfectly firm and crumbly and just a bit moist. If you want some added kick, leave the white pith and a few seeds in your jalapeños or if you want the perfect sweet and spicy combination just top with agave or maple syrup and some vegan margarine/butter.
This recipe makes six mini loaves and these will be the perfect petite treat come Thanksgiving dinner! I love these as a side-dish this time of year, a hearty and tasty addition to any meal. I used a silicone petite loaf pan and I just loved the way these turned out.
Freshware 6-Cavity Silicone Mini Loaf Pan
You may have noticed that these petite loaves have a topping on them. That’s Vtopian Artisan Cheeses‘ Reserve Sharp Cheddar. This exclusively vegan artisanal cheese producer based in Eugene, Oregon has a variety of delicious cheeses and this new addition to their lineup is one of my favorites! I’ll have an extensive review of their vegan cheeses later this month (spoilers: they’re all divine!), so consider this a preview of what’s to come.
The Reserve Sharp Cheddar (the 2nd bottom in the photograph above) has a robust cheesy flavor that’s deliciously savory served fresh from the fridge or cooked. This Vtopian cheese is smooth, creamy, flavorful and holds up well under the heat to form a nice creamy, cheesy crust on our Vegan Petite Jalapeño Cornbread Loaves.
A quick note on using vegan cheese for this recipe. There are two easy ways to add vegan cheese to this recipe.
Method 1: After adding your mixture to your baking pan, press chunks of cheese into your loaves, submerging them into the mixture. Another option is to add your cheese into the cornbread batter prior to pouring your mixture into the baking pans.
Method 2: Top your loaves with slices of cheese near the end the baking and turn your oven to broil, lightly browning the cheese until it begins to melt and stick to the top of your cornbread.
Vtopian works well either way, but some cheeses require the added moisture from being in the batter. This allows some cheese to melt rather than dry out. I would recommend Method 1 (incorporate cheese into batter) for shredded cheeses and cheese slices.
In the photos, I placed cheese wedges on top of the cornbread near the end of the baking process and broiled them until they looked lightly browned and the cheese looked firmly settled on the top of the cornbread.
If you want some added kick, leave the white pith and a few seeds in your jalapeños or if you want the perfect sweet and spicy combination just top with agave or maple syrup and some vegan margarine/butter.
Silicone pans require a slightly longer baking time than metal pans, so you may need to adjust the cooking time.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin or loaf pan. In a small bowl, whisk together ground flax seeds and 6 tablespoons milk for about a minute. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 15 minutes to an hour until thickened. This will be your 'egg replacer mixture.' Meanwhile, in another small bowl, whisk together the remaining milk (1 cup) and apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and pour 'both liquid mixtures’ from Step 1, then the oil and maple syrup. Gently stir well for at least 8 seconds, but be careful not to over mix the batter. Make sure there isn’t any flour left in the bottom of the bowl. Gently fold in the corn and jalapeños quickly.
Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the muffin cups or mini loaves, filling each about ¾ full. After adding your mixture to your baking pan, press chunks of cheese into your loaves, submerging them into the mixture. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes (for medium muffins) or 25 to 30 minutes (for 6 mini loaves). Toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from pan onto wire rack. Serve warm. Top with agave or maple syrup and some vegan margarine/butter for a sweet and spicy combination.
