This easy cornbread recipe uses a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, a can of cream of corn, and an egg. That’s it. It’s so easy and you can make it a day or two in advance for a summer barbeque or thanksgiving. During the pandemic, I’ve been using more pantry ingredients and Jiffy corn muffin mix and a can of creamed corn will both last a long time in your pantry.
Surprisingly, cream of corn is dairy free and the main ingredients are chopped corn, cornstarch and sugar. I try to use non-gmo brands, but any brand will work in this recipe. Creamed corn is my secret ingredient, so I don’t recommend substitutions. Especially, since it helps provide a fresh sweet corn flavor and keeps the cornbread moist, while adding some texture with chopped up bits of corn.
While you can put this mix in muffin tins, I like using an 8×8 baking dish, greasing it with vegan butter, and adding parchment paper to make it easier to remove the cornbread from the pan. Then I chop it up in squares and store it in the fridge or serve it.
Sunday brunch is Portuguese sausage and scrambled eggs with a side of cantaloupe. I usually rotate the protein and fruit for easy meal planning. Today was a healthy paleo friendly breakfast, but if I feel like indulging, I will fry up some frozen hash browns from Trader Joe’s in a little bit of olive oil to go with my scrambled eggs. I also like sprinkling Everything But The Bagel Seasoning (also from Trader Joe’s) over my eggs if I’m in the mood for the taste of an everything bagel without the carbs.
I prefer my scrambled eggs fluffy, but not creamy or oily, so I only add water and a pinch of salt and tend to overcook them. That is my personal preference, but I know everyone tends to have their own egg preferences. Feel free to leave a comment about your own method for scrambled eggs.
Jasmine rice is so easy to make in the instant pot. This recipe is gluten and dairy free and a great addition to my curry and stir fry recipes. Don’t alter the measurements for less rice, or you might end up with a burned instant pot. I’m always happy to have leftovers for meal planning anyway. Many recipes recommend rinsing rice at least once, but I’m lazy and impatient so I don’t. You can if you want, but if you skip it, don’t stress the extra step.
If you are having problems with digestion, white rice is bland and easy to digest, gluten free, low in fiber, and rice is the only grain that doesn’t cause gas. I’ve been dealing with acid reflux issues and heartburn lately so anything bland and easy to cook is very welcome.
This tropical hibiscus ice tea is an easy beverage to make that helps you stay hydrated in this crazy heat. I bought my hibiscus tea blend from my local farmer’s market, but you can also find it online with this link. What I love about this blend is that it also contains dried fruit in addition to hibiscus leaves, such as dried pineapple, apricot, peach, papaya and cranberry, which help gives the tea it’s tropical summer flavor.
To steep my tea, I use this steeper from Cuisinart. It’s cheap, well made, and I’ve put it in the dishwasher with no problems. Filling it to capacity is about 2 tbsp of loose tea. Since I let it simmer and steep for so long, it will flavor 8 cups of water, which is enough to fill my favorite glass pitcher. Make sure your tea is completely cool before pouring it into the pitcher for safety.
I had leftover honey baked ham from Mother’s Day and a bag of dried black eyed peas in the pantry so I thought it would be a good time to experiment with instant pot black eyed peas and ham soup. I can’t say this southern classic is something I’m familiar with but my husband and I were very happy with the results.
My ham had a very sweet crust, so this delicious bowl of comfort food ended up with a nice sweet and savory flavor. I liked the kick of some fresh ground pepper on top to balance out the sweetness and some fresh parsley to garnish, but my husband has a sweet tooth and was happy without the extras on top. This one pot meal was easy to make and easy to clean up and will freeze well if you have leftovers, which is perfect for meal planning.
These vegan mashed potatoes taste so delicious and take barely any time or effort with the help of my instant pot and kitchen aid. You could always boil the potatoes instead of pressure cooking them, which I do when my instant pot is dirty or being used. There are also lot of different ways to mash potatoes, but throwing them in my kitchen aid is easiest for me. You could also use a potato masher, potato ricer, immersion blender, or hand mixer.
For vegan butter I like Earth Balance for taste, plus it comes in sticks for baking. If you can tolerate real grass fed butter, use it instead, since it’s less processed and has Vitamin K. I have started reintroducing parmesan cheese into my diet, and been doing fine with it, however butter and cream is too rich for my stomach to handle. Earth balance is made with non-gmo, soy-free, non-hydrogenated, expeller pressed oils and there is no gluten or msg either, so I feel confident it is a healthy alternative for people with food intolerance.
