Search
Search the site for topics, resources and ideas:
Stop asking, “What’s for dinner?” Every. Single. Day.
A simple, flexible meal rhythm for busy moms who want to feed their families well without meal-planning their lives away.
Inside I’ll show you how to make dinner more predictable, less stressful, and way easier to pull together without a rigid 7-day meal plan.
Get the Free Formula
Recipes
Chili and Cornbread
Cornbread and chili go together like peanut butter and chocolate, sweet potato fries and spicy ketchup, and... John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. (I had to... ;) sorry.)
In Recipes
Cornbread and chili go together like peanut butter and chocolate, sweet potato fries and spicy ketchup, and… John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. (I had to… 😉 sorry.) The spongey sweetness of the cornbread paired with the spicy zestiness of the chili is a true celebration of flavors and all things holy.
Plus there’s something so ‘Merican about it that just reminds me of my childhood. And nostalgia? A huge player when it comes to cravings and culinary satisfaction.
Anyway, all you hearty-food fans will love this recipe because it’s thick and dense and, dare I say, “meaty.” Which, by the way, makes it the perfect dish to serve to any of your non-veggie or self-professed “carnivore for life” friends and family members. Seriously… serve them this chili — don’t tell them about the sin carne part — and wait and see what happens.
I’ll bet that after their third bowl they’ll ask you for the recipe. And you’ll have a sly look on your face as you tell them, “It’s all plants.”
And we all like moments of slyness.
Let’s begin…
Chili Sin Carne
So, though this recipe IS easy, it does take a little time due to all the chopping and "stewing." But fear not! Not only is it worth it, but you can listen to a Tony Robbins YouTube video while you're chopping. In which case, everyone wins... your tummy AND your mind. :)
Prep time
20min
Cook time
35min
Total time
55min
Ingredients
Serves 3 or 4
- 1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked until soft (15-30 min.)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- Some olive oil for sautéing
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, finely chopped (preferably in a mixer)
- 1 small piece jalapeño pepper, and/or cayenne pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari/nama shoyu
- 1 tablespoon each: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and chili powder
- 1 teaspoon each: cumin, oregano, chili pepper and paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 1 can of red beans, 1 can of white beans or chick peas
- 1 can of sweet corn (make sure it’s organic)
- One package of lupin, chopped up.
- Avocado for garnishing + chives! And I put a little bit of almond cream to make it prettay.
Instructions
- Make sure your sundried tomatoes are soaking. Then chop up your tomatoes. (Or pulse in a blender for a rough chop and not a purée!) Then chop the carrots and the garlic, which you’ll need to blend much more than the tomatoes.
- Start sauté-ing the onions in olive oil over medium heat.
- After the onions are soft, add the carrots, sauté for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, sauté for a few minutes, and then start adding your spices, soy sauce, olive oil, ACV, maple syrup. Add the sweet corn.
- Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, stiring often, then add in your beans, and lupin. Let it stew for several minutes. Taste it, add more spices if need be. Let it stew some more. The more it stews, the more the flavors will meld. Yum.
- This is the best part… Top with fresh avocado (mmmmm!) and chives, or little pieces of celery — whatever floats your boat. And, of course, serve with cornbread!
Notes & Tips
*It’s always a good idea to cook once, and eat twice… (fewer dishes, less labor — we like that.) So make a big batch if you feel so behooved! Have chili for a few days… it just keeps gettin’ better.
Cornbread
This entirely plant-based cornbread may become your new favorite thing.... it's great for breakfast, too. Highly multi-functional.
Prep time
10min
Cook time
25min
Total time
35min
Ingredients
Makes 8-10 servings
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups rice/almond milk
- 1 3/4 cups finely ground white or yellow cornmeal, or corn flour
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (You can do halvsies with plain white flour instead if you like your cornbread a little less dense. But I just use whole wheat because I like to avoid white flour, and plus that’s just how I roll.)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons pink himalayan salt
- 5 tablespoons organic brown or cane sugar
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400° F. Grease pan with coconut oil.
- Whisk the apple cider vinegar and rice/almond milk together vigorously. Set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- Add the (melted) coconut oil to the rice milk mixture and then add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing until they are totally incorporated.
- Batter should be thick, but not too thick. If it’s really thick, add in a smidgen of almond milk. Then pour the batter into your square baking tin (or cupcake tins — let’s go crazy) and bake for around 20/25 minutes (less if it’s cupcakes), or until the top of the cornbread is firm and the edges are turning golden. Inserting a knife in the middle to access done-ness is always recommended. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then eat, by golly!
Notes & Tips
If you want to go all out on this spicy theme, throw some slices of jalapeño peppers on top of the cornbread. It’ll look gourmet, and you’ll forever be seen as a kitchen rebel and all the better for it.
Hope you garner as many fans as I have with this chili. Let me know in the comments below how it works out for you…. remember some like it hot. ; )
P.S. Oh! And we just announced a cookie-baking event, Nov. 29th at My Kitch’n, so if you’re in Paris… it’ll be the place to be for holiday prep and cookie-filled conviviality. (View the invite.) Hope to see you there!
Plus, we’ve partnered with Ubuntu France for an event on Nov. 27th regarding global warming and how we can make a difference by our actions, and above all, by our culinary choices. (View invite.) Come one, come all, and share in this meeting of delicious food and food for thought.
The Calm Meal Formula
Dinner doesn’t have to be a daily decision.
Get my simple meal framework for feeding your family without the nightly panic, endless recipe hunting, or 5:30pm fridge-staring.
Free Formula
Become a Health Coach
Passionate about health, wellness, and helping others? The world needs health coaches, and IIN can help you become one.
Learn More
