My whole family loves home cooking and often include items in our menu that go great with cornbread (like Quick Beef Stew or 3-Ingredient Leftover Turkey Stew). Unfortunately, most cornbread recipes call for milk and eggs, which are out due to all sorts of family-allergies. But my mom used to make something she called “Hot Water Cornbread”. It’s perfect for all our allergy-sensitivities. And we gave it a new name…Vegan & Gluten-Free Hot Water Cornbread.
I used my mom’s recipe, though it had a different purpose. See, we were pretty poor growing up, and there were times we just didn’t have any milk or eggs. But cornmeal was cheap, and that’s really all you need to make Hot Water Cornbread. Yep, that’s all you need–just cornmeal and hot water. Well, I’ve added to that recipe, but you CAN make the cornbread with only those two ingredients. LOL!
And simple is the name of the game with food allergies. Do you have family food allergies? We do. Oh, boy, we do. My daughter and son are both allergic to dairy, and I don’t just mean that they are lactose intolerant–there’s a difference. I’m lactose intolerant, but can still have small amounts of dairy without having adverse affects. I can also have cooked foods with dairy. My kids can’t. Both of them have terrible reactions, including stomach upset and upper respiratory reactions (runny nose, sneezing, etc.). We also have members of our family that are allergic to eggs and/or nuts. So, sometimes, our menu is pretty limited. But, with this Hot Water Cornbread…there’s no worries. Everybody can eat it. LOL!
Vegan & Gluten-Free Hot Water Cornbread
- 2 cups Cornmeal yellow
- 2 cups Water boiling
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Canola Oil
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About 30 minutes before mealtime, heat 2 cups of water to boiling.
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Measure out 2 cups cornmeal, add 2 teaspoons Baking Powder and 1/2 teaspoon Salt. Mix together.
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Add 1 cup boiling (or still very hot) water and stir.
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Continue adding hot water in small amounts and stirring, until all the cornmeal mixture is damp. You may not use all the water, but that is ok.
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Set aside for about 15 to 20 minutes and let the cornmeal absorb the water.
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Put about 1/4 inch of Canola Oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
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Pour off and discard any un-absorbed water from the cornmeal mixture.
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Pour a little bit of the hot oil into the cornmeal mixture and stir--careful to not touch the hot oil.
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Spoon about 1/3 to 1/2-cup blobs of cornmeal mixture into hot oil.
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When the edges begin to turn golden, carefully turn over the patties (I use two spatulas, to keep from splashing the hot oil.)
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Cook for a couple of minutes, then check to see if the second side has browned. The time will vary, depending on how hot your oil is.
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Remove to paper towel-covered plate to drain, then serve and enjoy.
I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has! Leave me a note in the comments, if you wanna share your love for the cornbread. Be sure to like our Facebook page, too, so you get our recipes in your newsfeed.
