A Healthier Organic Cornbread Recipe Made With Masa Harina & Why Masa Harina Is A Better Choice!
by Halle Cottis on Sep 27, 2012 - 15 Comments
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So earlier this week I posted a delicious End of The Summer Veggie Stew/Chili recipe! If you haven’t had a chance to see this recipe you can view it here. This chili is so delicious and if you are anything like me, I just love some corn bread with my chili! Check out the photo below, the chili and cornbread make for a perfect fall meal!
This recipe became quite the challenge because i didn’t want to use corn meal in the recipe. I was looking to create a healthier alternative to the traditional corn bread but I still wanted it to taste great! I achieved a healthier corn bread by switching out corn meal with a flour called Masa Harina. Masa Harina is often used to make fresh tortillas (yep you guessed it, working on that recipe too! 
) Masa Harina is made from freshly prepared hominy. To make hominy, field corn is dried and cooked and soaked in lime water and wood ash. Lime and ash then break down the hemicellulose which is the glue like component in corn. This loosens the hulls from the kernel and softens the corn. In addition, the lime reacts with a corn so that the nutrient niacin can be broken down and easily digested in the digestive track. Simply put, Masa Harina has been prepared in a “traditional” way allowing it to be a much more digestible option.
Do you have troubles digesting grains? Try preparing the grains in a “traditional” way and see if it makes a difference for you. By “traditional”, I mean sprouting, soaking or fermenting. I can tell you from my experience that I have a terrible time with grains spiking my blood sugar. I often become very irritable and edgy after consuming grains (a sing that my blood sugar is out of balance). I did not want to go on a grain free diet so I set out to find out how I could eat grains. When you soak, sprout or ferment grains you are breaking down anti nutrients and allowing the grain to become more digestible. Grains prepared properly oftentimes digest like a vegetable.
Here are a few recipes that I have posted that included “traditional” methods of preparations.
- Sourdough Bread
- Traditionally Prepared Soaked Oatmeal
- Soaked Nuts & The Benefits (although not a grain, this is the “traditional” method of preparing nuts)
- Soaked Pecan Cinnamon Roll Quinoa
I have a lot more in my recipe collection, these are just a few of my favorites. Feel free to browse around in our Recipe Gallery for more great recipes!
This post was featured on Melt in your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, Homestead Barn Hop Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesday, Frugal Days, Healthy 2Day, Eat make grow, full plate thursday, creative juice thursday, keep it real thursday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Gluten Free Friday, Foodie Friday, Freaky Friday
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup masa harina flour
- 1/2 cup spelt flour, or other flour of choice, (with the exception of coconut flour, it won't work in this recipe) I used sprouted spelt flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
- 1/4 cup raw honey
- 1 tbsp sucanat
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk or coconut milk
- 1/4 cup grass fed butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Mix together dry ingredients.
- Cut 2 tbsp of the grass fed butter into the flour mixture.
- In a separate bowl, combine honey(slightly melted), eggs, sucanat and milk and stir well.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix just until moist. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Place 2 tbsp of butter into a 8x8 square pan and place in oven until melted.
- Pour batter into pan and bake for 20 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.
- Remove cornbread from pan to cool so that the crust is still crisp.
Notes
This recipe was inspired & adapted from a recipe featured on www.chow.com
resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masa
- ORGANIC YELLOW CORN MASA 5 LB
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List Price:
- Price: $15.99
- 5lb. 100% Whole Grain, Organic, Sprouted Spelt Flour
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List Price:
- Price: $19.10
- Wholesome Sweeteners, Inc., Organic Sucanat, Dehydrated Cane Juice, 1 lb (454 g)
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List Price:
$5.59 - Price: $4.59
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