Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Monday, November 10, 2014

Curried Sweet Potato and Millet Soup with Pumpkin Cornbread


In my quest for locating more good millet recipes, I found some in a cookbook I already had.


Although the recipe I tried is in the book, it's also online if you are interested in making it - Curried Sweet Potato and Millet Soup.  I substituted pure maple syrup with our homemade corn cob syrup.

The results?  


Taste testers here voted.  The adults?  "different" and "good"  The kids?  Well, there were various results with the kids.  I don't think all of my kids will eat it again.  However, I think this would taste even better with some sort of additional "hot" spice.

I only tried it because it had millet in it.  I may just add cooked millet to some of my own dishes that already call couscous, quinoa or other grain as well.  I will most likely freeze this soup in containers for Hubby on days I don't cook and he needs a lunch to take.  I'm pretty sure only one of the girls will eat the leftovers.

My 17 year-old helped with dinner too, and mixed up another new recipe I found in a cookbook - Pumpkin cornbread.  I've baked "squash" cornbread before, but this recipe contains different ingredients, and even molasses.

This recipe received raving results - all thumbs up.



Pumpkin Cornbread 
(adapted with organic, non-gmo, homegrown ingredients, and using aluminum free baking powder, from the cookbook, Recipes from the Old Mill, by Sarah E. Myers and Mary Beth Lin.)

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin (or winter squash puree)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup non-gmo/organic canola oil
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Sift cornmeal, flours, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large mixing bowl.  (Add coarse cornmeal particles that do not go through sifter to the sifted ingredients.)

Beat eggs lightly in a separate bowl.  Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, and molasses.

Make a well in the dry mixture.  Add liquids and blend batter with a few quick strokes, just until no traces of flour remain.  Add pecans during the last few strokes, if desired.

Pour batter into a greased 10" glass pie pan or a 9" square baking pan.

Bake at 400°F for approximately 30 minutes, until cornbread is browned and the surface has a slightly springy feel.


5 comments:

Susan said...

That meal sounds so warm and comforting -- I wonder if I could convert that cornbread to a GF version. I love pumpkin, sweet potato and winter squash!

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, I've baked muffins by making flour from millet. Not sure if it would work in this bread or not.

Debby Flowers said...

I can't wait to try this cornbread recipe too. We just had cornbread last night, and my recipe is tasty, but crumbly, so I am looking for a moister version. Thank you too for the Coffee Jelly recipe, which I am also impatient to try; I know just the coffee enthusiast that it will make a great Christmas gift for.

I will add a tip you may want to try sometime. I used to throw the leftover cornbread to the chickens but I save it now and crumble it in a pan with milk for breakfast. It thickens when you heat it and makes a very speedy cornmeal mush type of porridge.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Debby, thank you for the cornbread tip. That's a wonderful way to use it up.

Sam I Am...... said...

The cornbread recipe sounds wonderful.