ABOUT THE RECIPE:

This Cornbread and Sweet Pepper Mini-Muffins will certainly impress. Savory and slightly sweet, these mini jewels pair well with a first course salad or soup, but they work great as breakfast muffins, too. The peppers add a welcome pop of color and taste, while the cornmeal adds a hearty texture.

Makes 12 mini-muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons fine ground cornmeal, plus more as needed (see note)
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
1 cup sliced banana
1/3 cup nondairy milk
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil a twelve-cup mini-muffin tin. Put the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add the red pepper and stir gently to coat.

Put the banana, nondairy milk, and chili powder in a blender. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. Add the maple syrup and stir briefly to incorporate. The batter will be quite thick. If the mixture seems too runny, gently stir in more cornmeal, 1 heaping teaspoon at a time, to achieve a thick batter that holds soft peaks when stirred.

Divide the mixture among the oiled muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Put the muffin tin on a wire rack and loosen the sides of each muffin with a knife. Cool for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: Make sure to use fine-ground cornmeal, not coarse ground cornmeal, or your muffins will be inedible!