Caramelized Onion Cornbread

DISCLAIMER: This recipe is not vegan. It is from the days when I was a vegetarian! I don't want to remove old posts, but I don't eat this way anymore : ) There is a vegan version of this recipe here.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

I've always loved this holiday.  Before graduating into the real world I looked forward to a long weekend thanks to MLK.  Sunday night I could stay up late and watch television and talk on the phone with my friends; that was in grade school.  In college we'd stay up and drink, then sleep in late on Monday with vague gratitude for Mr.King.  

Now I am officially an adult. An adult who never really has a long weekend because I work Thursday to Monday at a busy restaurant.  However last night, Sunday, I was totally looking forward to this year's MLK Day because I don't have to work. All I've got to do is write this blog post, do yoga, do laundry, and go to class tonight at my church.  This morning I woke up at 9:00, and after doing my morning meditation, I headed to the kitchen to make myself some incredibly delicious yeasted waffles. 

In the midst of all my relaxing and enjoying this cold winter's day, I have taken the time to reflect on one of Mr.King's quotes.

Our goal is to create a beloved community and
this will require a qualitative change in our souls
as well as a quantitative change in our lives. ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I spend a lot of my free time with my boyfriend, yet I feel a part of something bigger than the two of us.  I am a part of a community at work, at church, and online in the food blogging world.  I am so grateful for all of these associations; for together we can create positive change in the world. 

I am creating a cooking show!  Maxx bought a new HD camera, and we put aside about 7 hours last Saturday to play around.  I made some delicious Caramelized Onion Cornbread.  Honestly it was DELICIOUS! Moist, light, sweet, and crumbly.  I'm always experimenting with cornbread recipes, and this one is a keeper.  Try it out. If you're not into caramelized onions, add something else or nothing at all.  If you've got a cast iron skillet bake it in there, and when you do, let me know how it turned out. And don't forget to drizzle some honey on top ; )

Caramelized Onion Cornbread 

(For a superb cornbread remember to 1. Sift the dry ingredients 2. Never over mix the batter 3. Enjoy with a drizzle of honey)

3/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or AP Flour)

3/4 cup of yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup of butter, melted 

1 large egg

1 1/4 cup of buttermilk 

1 cup Caramelized Onions, make ahead of time. Recipe at bottom of page

Set oven to 400 degrees and butter and flour an 8x8x2 inch pan (or a shallow round pan).  

In a large bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar; and sift to create a light and moist cornbread.  In another bowl combine butter, egg, and buttermilk.  Pour wet ingredients into the dry and combine with a spatula. Careful, do not overmix!  

Fork the caramelized onions into the batter and fold to combine. 

Pour batter into your floured pan and bake for 25 minutes. Cornbread will be golden brown when you remove it from the oven.  Stick a toothpick, or paring knife, in to make sure it's cooked through.  Remember, you've got onions in there so the knife or toothpick might be a little wet. 

Let the cornbread cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip it out onto a cooling rack to cool for another 5-10 minutes.  

Balsamic Caramelized Onions

2 Yellow Onions, cut lengthwise in thin strips

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

1 1/2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

In a large skillet heat the Olive Oil on high heat and tilt pan to make sure the entire bottom is coated with oil. 

Add the onion, and with a spatula stir to coat.  Reduce fire to medium-low.  Add sugar and a few pinches of salt, stir, and cover the onions for about 3 minutes to speed the cooking process.  Remove lid and stir a bit. Do not cover the onions.  Stir the onions lightly every 10 minutes. 

After about 30 minutes you'll have a pan of golden brown onions reduced significantly.  Move the onions to one side in the skillet.  Pour a bit of Balsamic Vinegar onto the pan and scrape with the spatula to deglaze, then stir the onions into the glaze. 

Remove from skillet and set aside to be used for cornbread.