Tex Mex Black Bean Cornbread Casserole

Hello All,

So much has been going on here!  Both of my ankles have been bothering me.  I went to see my ortho and found out that I have tendonitis in one ankle and all kind of trouble with the other.  I'm wearing a braces on both and have been ordered to rest.  Sounds fun, right?  So, needless to say, I have not been cooking much.

I did make a really yummy casserole yesterday.  It's quick to throw together and get into the oven.  Then it bakes for an hour so I had time to rest.  Here's how I did it:

TEX MEX BLACK BEAN CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

1 (20 oz) can black beans, drained
salt/pepper
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 (15 oz) can creamed corn
1 large onion, chopped
8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the black beans.  Season them with salt and pepper.  Set aside. 

In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, milk, 3/4 tsp salt, baking soda, eggs, creamed corn, onion and cheese.  Stir well.  Gently mix in seasoned black beans.

Pour into a greased cast iron skillet (or casserole dish).  Place on a cookie sheet to catch any drips in case it bubbles over.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Let cool 15 - 20 minutes before cutting.

This is really good.  It has a little spice from the cheese and a little sweetness from the creamed corn.  The beans make it very filling for a vegetarian dish.  If you're a carnivore, you can use a pound of browned ground beef in place of the beans.  With or without meat, this dish will not disappoint!

Crawfish Cornbread

It has been a month and a half since I've posted.  Sorry.  Believe me I'm not happy about it.  My crazy husband has decided that we need to renovate our home yet again.  Didn't we just finish a reno?  Why yes, we did.  But my hubby needs a project at all times.  We're adding a new living room on to the house and opening up our kitchen for a more open floor plan.  So, I was unable to use my kitchen for over a month.  Now, you might think that eating out at restaurants and getting take-out every night is a dream come true.  Not me.  I love cooking.  It relaxes me.  It's my therapy.  With all the craziness of the renovation (and believe you me, it has been insane), I need some therapy!  So, when I was finally able to cook, I wanted something awesome.  My brother boiled some crawfish on Saturday for my goddaughter's birthday.  I took home some leftovers, peeled them and made this delicious crawfish cornbread:

CRAWFISH CORNBREAD

 1/2 lb crawfish tail meat
Cajun seasoning
1/2 an onion, diced
1/2 a bell pepper, diced
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 (8.5 oz) box corn muffin mix (like Jiffy)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the crawfish tails with Cajun seasoning.

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients well.

Pour into the greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until set and lightly browned.

Let it sit for a few minutes before cutting.

(Sorry for the disposable pan and paper plate in the pics.  All of my kitchenware is still in storage).

This crawfish cornbread is awesome!  It's slightly sweet, slightly spicy and a little creamy with a great crust.  

This recipe is super easy to make and turns out great!  You've got to give this one a try.

Shrimp and Crab Cornbread Casserole

One summer when I was in college I worked at a Senior Citizens Center.  Seniors would come for the day, eat lunch and play games, do crafts, etc.  My boss, Mrs. Sylvia, gave me a recipe for a Mexican Cornbread Casserole.  It was made with ground beef, onions, cornmeal, cheese.  It's so yummy!  I make it often.  But, I was thinking, how could I change this recipe?  What new flavors could I add to it?  Seafood!  I decided to use shrimp and crab but you could use crawfish, too.  Here's what I came up with:

SHRIMP AND CRAB CORNBREAD CASSEROLE

1 cup cooked shrimp
1 cup crab meat
1 box corn muffin mix (Jiffy)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 can cream corn
1 small onion, diced
1/2 a bell pepper, diced
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Cajun or Creole Seasoning

*Tip: pick through the crab meat to make sure there are no shells.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a big bowl combine corn muffin mix, egg, milk and cream corn.

Add onion and bell pepper.

Mix well then gently fold in shrimp and crab that as been seasoned with Creole Seasoning (I use Tony Chacherres).

Don't over mix.  You don't want to break up the seafood too much.

Butter a cast iron skillet (or a casserole dish).

Pour the batter into the buttered skillet.

Top with the shredded pepper jack cheese (as much or as little as you like).

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Let it cool for about 10 minutes before cutting.

 This casserole is awesome!  It has a slight sweetness from the corn muffin mix and a great spice from the creole seasoning and the pepper jack cheese.  It's very filling too.  My daughter absolutely loved it!  I did, too.  I went back for seconds (and maybe I ate it for lunch the next day and maybe I want some more right now).  You will definitely want to make this one!
   

Sausage Cornbread

Things have been super hectic here!  We are renovating our master bedroom and bathroom, which sounds exciting (and it is) but, it's mostly just a big old pain in my you know where.  We are sleeping in my son's room surrounded by baseball memorabilia and video games.  No matter how much I clean, the house is always dirty.  And the hammering, the incessant hammering that never seems to stop (did I mention we are having roof work done, too?).  It's like living in one long, dusty headache.

Anyway, I haven't been cooking much because we've been so busy moving furniture, putting things in storage, etc.  But, I did make some sausage cornbread the other night that was simply delicious.  A few simple ingredients, easy assembly, one skillet.  It's a winner!

SAUSAGE CORNBREAD

1 (8 oz) container sour cream
2 eggs
1 can cream style corn
1 cup self-rising cornmeal mix
1 pound breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In an oven-proof skillet (I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet), brown the sausage over medium-high heat.

Remove the sausage to a plate lined with paper towel so it can drain, but leave the sausage grease in the skillet.  This will keep the cornbread from sticking and give it awesome flavor!  (I use a pastry brush to make sure the sides of the skillet are greased, too).

In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream, eggs and cream corn.

Add the cornmeal mix and stir to combine.  Try not to over mix it.

Add the cooked and drained sausage.  Gently mix.

Pour into the greased skillet.

Bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting it.

You've got one bowl and one skillet to clean.  I hate recipes that use a million utensils and mixing bowls and pots and baking dishes.  This is easy!  

I cut a small corner off to show you the inside.  It's moist (from the sour cream), a little bit sweet (from the cream corn) and savory (from the sausage).  I served it along side red beans and rice, but it could totally be a main dish.  You could even add some veggies and cheese.  This is perfect to take to a pot luck because it's yummy at room temperature, too.  A good recipe to keep on hand.  Enjoy!

Classic Cornbread

Cornbread is probably one of the oldest foods in America.  The corn that was grown by Native Americans was ground and mixed with water then fried on hot stones.  As time went by, other ingredients were added, such as leavening agents and sweeteners, but cornbread remained a staple.  When something has been around that long, there's a reason.  It's good!

I consider myself a cornbread aficionado.  I love to order it in restaurants and try different recipes at home.  I have eaten many versions over the years (bacon, jalepeno, cheddar, crawfish, etc), but this is still my favorite.  Plain, simple, classic cornbread.  There's just something about it.  It's great corn flavor, hint of sweetness, and lovely dense texture are wonderful.  Spread some butter on a warm piece and it's pretty close to perfection in my book.

   
CLASSIC CORNBREAD

1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1/4 cups oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a big bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  I use a whisk to mix it together.

In a large measuring cup, mix milk, oil and egg.  Whisk together thoroughly.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.  Do not over mix!

One of the great things about this cornbread is the crispy crust it gets on the bottom.  That comes from preheating the cast iron skillet you bake it in.  You can do this one of two ways.  Place it on the stove top over medium heat until hot or place it in the oven while you preheat it.

Once it's hot, melt some margarine (I like margarine for this because it adds some flavor and doesn't burn as easily as butter) in the skillet and brush it all over so the cornbread won't stick.

After you grease it, while it's still hot, pour the batter in.  This is how you get a crispy crust.  Yum!

Put it in the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until light golden on the edges.

See how easy it slides out of the skillet?  And look at that crispy crust on the bottom!

You can see how dense this cornbread is.  I love the texture.

This went perfectly with the red beans and rice I made for supper last night.  I ate it again this morning with a cup of coffee and some strawberry preserves.

I know it might seem silly to get so excited about something so simple, but I can't help it.  I love food.  If you're a foodie, you get it.  If not, that's OK.  Either way, I hope you make this cornbread.  Just give it a try.  That's the reason I write this blog, to share simple recipes so that others can enjoy making food as much as I do (and enjoy eating it, too!).