Cornbread Topped Chili Mac

Creamy slightly smoky and spicy chili mac, topped with fluffy cornbread.

I love chili, and it's fun to have it as a side to macnncheese. So, why not combine them in one glorious dish, and round it out to ridiculousness by topping it with cornbread instead of breadcrumbs?

Yeah, you know I had to do it.

Ingredients

Chili

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup TVP + 1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 can kidney beans (about 200g when drained)
1 can chopped tomatoes (400g)
1 tablespoon Braggs
1 tablespoon sweet dark soy sauce

Creamy Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup rice flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons miso
3 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup soy milk
juice of 1/2 lemon

Cornbread Topping

2/3 cup vegetable stock
1 to 1 & 1/2 cups finely ground cornmeal
1 tablespoon rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Other

350g elbows/macaroni

Method

Chili

Soak the TVP in the boiling water until it has rehydrated, about 15 minutes.

In a deep sided frying pan, heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat.  Saute the onion, garlic and chipotle until the onion is translucent - about 5 minutes.

Pour in the TVP and any remaining soaking liquid. Then add the kidney beans, oregano, coriander, smoked paprika and stir together well.  Pour in the chopped tomatoes, Braggs and sweet dark soy sauce.

Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until the chili is thick and the liquid has cooked off.  Set to one side.

Creamy Sauce

In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil and saute the garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the rice flour and nutritional yeast and stir to mix completely.  Add a little of the hot stock and mix to form a paste. Keep adding the stock a little at a time and keep whisking to form a thick sauce.  Whisk the miso through the sauce, with the lemon juice and soy milk.  Set to one side.

Cornbread Topping

Pour the stock into a medium sized bowl. Whisk in the corn meal, rice flour, baking powder and oil to make a thick smooth paste.

Putting it all together

Cook the pasta as per the packet's instructions.  When it cooked, drain it and mix it with the chili.  Mix in the creamy sauce until everything is well combined.

Pour into a baking dish, approximately 25 to 30cm long by about 20cm wide and at least 10cm deep.

Dot with tablespoonfuls of the cornbread topping at 1cm intervals and then gently pull the cornbread together to cover the top.

Bake until the sides are bubbling and the cornbread topping is cooked through and dry, about 30 minutes.

Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Cauliflower MacnCheez

White creamy sauce wrapped around tender pasta, topped with zingy fresh tomato and smoky crunchy breadcrumbs.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Cauliflower White Sauce

• 400g fresh cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 medium brown onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 cups water
• juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup non dairy milk
• 2 to 3 tablespoons barley miso
• 3 tablespoons rice flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Smoky Breadcrumbs

• 3 slices fresh bread processed into about 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Other

• 300g extra firm tofu
• 1 packet (500g) macaroni or other small pasta
• 1 medium fresh tomato, sliced thinly

Method

Cauliflower Sauce

Steam the cauliflower until tender.  Whilst the cauliflower is steaming, saute the onion in the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat until the onion is translucent and soft.  Add the tender steamed cauliflower to to the onion and olive oil, and mash.  Pour in 1 cup of water (can use the steaming water for extra cauliflower flavour) and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add another 1/2 cup water and take the saucepan off the heat.

Carefully blend the cauliflower with a immersion blender or food processor until smooth and place back into the saucepan.  Place the saucepan over a low heat and whisk in the lemon juice, non dairy milk, barley miso, rice flour and white pepper.  Simmer, whisking constantly, for a minute to thicken slightly, and then take off the heat.

Smoky Breadcrumbs

Mix the breadcrumbs with the smoked paprika and olive oil.

Putting it all together

Cook the pasta as per the packet's instructions until tender.  Drain.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius.

Crumble the extra firm tofu into the bottom of a baking dish, approximately 25 to 30 cm long by about 20cm wide and at least 10cm deep.

Mix in a third of the cauliflower sauce with the crumbled tofu.  Pour in half of the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly.  Pour in another third of the cauliflower sauce and the other half of the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly.  Press down the pasta to make a flat surface and pour on the remaining cauliflower sauce and smooth over the pasta.

Top with the thinly sliced fresh tomato.

Spoon on the smoky breadcrumbs and press them down firmly.

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are browned and the breadcrumbs are crispy.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.