Pumpkin Cornbread & Chili

Since the weather has been cooling down the past few days, I've wanted pumpkin EVERYTHING! This is a flavor that I definitely associate with fall, so I stocked up my pantry so I could try a lot of recipes out. One of my friend's has a friend who went to culinary school and she keeps up with a blog called Daily Garnish. She posts all sorts of good recipes, so this is one of hers, I take no credit for it! Nothing like cool fall mornings to get you wanting some pumpkin cornbread!

I also made some chili that turned out amazing! This one has ingredients such as tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce, so I figured it would have a little different flavor than normal chili would. I couldn't believe how GOOD my house smelled when I came home from school today! I seriously thought about eating at 3:00, but really wanted to make the pumpkin cornbread so I held off my stomach until dinner time. I am hesitant about making soups because it's only me right now, so I modified a recipe that I found in The Crockin' Girls Slow Cookin' Companion Cookbook. It turned out the perfect amount- I can take it for lunch tomorrow and have one more very small serving!

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So no more waiting, here are the recipes:

Spiced Pumpkin Cornbread

by Emily Malone

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

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• 1 cup cornmeal

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 cup frozen corn kernels (I used roasted corn for mine)

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/8 teaspoon cloves (I used pumpkin pie spice)

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted- I'm also sure that vegetable oil would work)

• 1/4 cup almond/ soy milk (I used vanilla soymilk and it was great)

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon molasses

• 2 eggs
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. I feel like baking recipes all have the same instructions. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, mix wet ingredients in a bowl - pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. This recipe is no different - quick and easy! Cornbread is already so delicious, and I thought the addition of pumpkin and pie spices would give this a little extra oomph as we head into fall.I love baking cornbread in my cast iron skillet. It makes me feel homey. But if you don't have one, any square baking dish will do. Just make sure it's greased or non-stick before pouring in the batter. Once mixed, add the batter to the pan and spread to the edges.Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes. Because of the pumpkin and molasses, this cornbread will be a little darker than normal, and that's okay. Just watch for the top to have a golden tinge. Mine was finished in exactly 25 minutes.Allow it to cool for a few minutes, and then slice and serve.Serve along side your favorite soup or chili for a perfect fall meal. Heat leftovers and spread with Earth Balance along side some scrambled eggs for breakfast. This won't last long!

KO Crockin Chili

1 lb ground beef

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans/ pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can tomato sauce

1.5 Tbsp chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1.5 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. paprika

1.5 tsp. dried basil

1.5 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

Brown the ground beef; drain and pour into the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on LOW for about 7 to 8 hours. Serve with cornbread. Sprinkle cheese on top of each bowl, if desired. Enjoy!

*Can combine all ingredients except for meat in a bowl in refrigerator to make for easy assembly the following morning.