Upside Down Cornbread

I got the idea for this recipe from Sweet Savant in a post someone shared on Facebook. I used my own cornbread recipe – veganized and low in fat, with diced green chiles instead of broccoli. If you want to kick it up a notch, layer some jalapeƱo slices with the onions.

Upside Down Cornbread

Ingredients

  • Canola or other mild flavored oil to brush skillet or pan
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced (do not separate the slices into rings)
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup raw sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
  • 1/4 cup Aqua faba (chickpea brine)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
  • 1 can creamed corn (read the label to make sure it's vegan)
  • 1 small can diced green chiles, drained

Instructions

  1. Start preheating oven to 400F.
  2. Brush a 10-inch cast iron skillet with oil and line the bottom with slices of onion (mince the remaining slices and reserve.) Place skillet into the oven while it's preheating.
  3. Stir together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
  4. Stir together creamed corn, almond milk and aqua faba in a small bowl, then add to the dry ingredients, stirring until mixed.
  5. Stir in green chiles and reserved minced onion.
  6. By this time your oven should be preheated and your skillet hot. Remove CAREFULLY, using oven mitts/potholders, as it is extremely hot.
  7. Spoon the cornbread batter into the hot skillet and gently smooth over the onion slices. Be careful not to shift the onions; you want them to stay on the bottom of the pan.
  8. Return to oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and done (a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.)
  9. Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and let it cool for about 5 minutes.
  10. Run a knife around the edges of the cornbread. Invert a plate over the skillet, then carefully turn the skillet upside down to release the cornbread onto the plate.

Notes

Please be very careful when handling the hot iron skillet. If you don’t want to use a cast iron skillet, you can use a regular nonstick baking pan. Line the bottom with the onions, and bake in a preheated 400F oven for 10 minutes before adding the batter.