The Red, White, and Green

Photo via Flickr: DrRJE

I’ve waited since spring baseball to write this post, but the time is finally right. The air is getting crisper (even here in SoCal), the days are getting shorter, and our beloved rough and tumble pastime is finally back on the airwaves tonight. So cook up a big pot of (veggie) chili and a pile of cornbread for tonight’s double-header, invite over a pack of friends, and kick off the season with a new American tradition that will leave even the beefiest, most linebacker-esque of your pals cheering: It’s Meatless Monday Night Football!

The great thing about this gathering is that if you put out all the fixin’s, like tortilla chips, guacamole, sour cream, and cheddar cheese, people won’t even miss the meat. And while I’ll leave it up to you to find your favorite chili recipe (although I think this one from Rachel Ray does the trick for meat-eaters and veg-heads alike, thanks to the addition of beer to the batch), the one thing that is non-negotiable is my family’s cornbread. The store-bought/mix variety — essentially a sweet, gluey corn muffin sham of a concoction — doesn’t even come close to the real stuff. If the recipe was a secret, PL, then I’m sorry. But it’s for the greater good!

Real Cornbread
1 1/2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill stone ground cornmeal (medium or coarse grind)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and vegetable oil. Whisk together until ingredients are just mixed (do not overbeat). Bake in a greased 8-inch square pan for 20-25 minutes. For corn sticks: Brush a cast-iron corn stick pan with oil or melted butter and heat in a preheated 450-degree oven until fat smokes. Fill the molds two-thirds full, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with plenty of butter.

And don’t forget the most important part of Meatless Monday Night Football: Plenty of meat-free beer!

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: There’s no need for a full lecture on why tonight’s gathering is meatless (watching football and lots of yapping are not a good combination), but if someone asks about the veggie chili, tell them to check out the Meatless Monday website.

Related posts:
Meatless Monday: Eat less meat throughout the week
Meatless Monday: Special diets
Can’t afford a Prius? Try Meatless Monday

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