Foodie Fridays: Three-Ingredient Protein Cornbread

I have always enjoyed baking more than any other type of cooking, but ever since I put myself on a low-carb diet I have been doing very little baking.  I do, however, keep an eye out for interesting baked goods recipes that are made with lower carbohydrate ingredients.  Some of these recipes are just as good as if not better than their high-carb counterparts, while others are similar in name only.  Today's recipe for 3-Ingredient Cornbread from the Nest & Glow website falls into the latter category.

While corn is of course mostly carbohydrates (albeit gluten-free), the other ingredients in this recipe do not include either wheat or sugar, the usual carb culprits in baking.  Chickpea flour and ground flaxseed are great sources of protein and fiber, and while the texture and flavor of this cornbread are very different from that of the more familiar version, I found it rather tasty.  It is a very dense and moist bread, but without the crumbly aspect because there is no leavening to create air bubbles in the batter.  I served this bread with soup, and the combination is a very satisfying meal for lunch or a light dinner.  Some may find this recipe an acquired taste, but it is worth a try, especially if you can no longer find wheat flour at the grocery store.  I doubt that most people are stocking up on chickpea flour or flaxseed, and so far frozen corn seems to be in good supply!

Three-Ingredient Protein Cornbread

2 C. frozen corn, thawed

1/2 C. water

1 C. chickpea flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Chickpea Flour)

1/2 C. ground flaxseed (see Notes)

1/4 tsp. salt

Reserve 2 T. corn and place the remainder in a blender with the water.  Blend for a minute to cream the corn kernels.

Pour the creamed corn into a large bowl.  Stir in the chickpea flour, ground flaxseed, and salt.

Place the cornbread batter into a greased 8x4-inch loaf pan.  Sprinkle with the reserved corn, pushing the kernels into the top of the batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, until the top is golden.  Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes.  Serves 8.

Notes:  I used Carrington Farms Organic Milled Flax Seed rather than flaxseed meal because that is what I had on hand, but the original recipe recommends golden flaxseed meal for a more attractive color (like Bob's Red Mill Golden Flaxseed Meal).  Eat this bread within 3 days and store somewhere cool and dark.  This bread tastes best toasted and buttered.