Cookie Contest Winner, 2009 Veggie Awards, & a Cornbread Burger Bun recipe!

A week has passed & many entries for the Bountiful Vegan Intention Cookie giveaway have come in. The answers have ranged from the funny, "my cookie name would be Wesley Snipes", to the more serious, "..I would be Ahimsa (non-violence), as that is my guiding principle.", to the downright delicious, "I'd be a sustainability cookie! It would be a renewable cookie that you never finished"! I had a great time reading all the answers! Thank you for the entries, but the moment of truth is here! The randomly selected winner is...karaxcupcake who said, "I'd be an Ants in the Pants cookie. Would most likely contain caffeine.". Congratulations Kara! Please email me melisser AT theurbanhousewife.com to claim your prize!

In other news, voting for the 2009 Veggie Awards by VegNews Magazine is here! I am honored to say I have been nominated for "Favorite Blog" alongside some excellent bloggers, & of course, there are many deserving people who were not nominated. VegNews ups the ante with the voting by making it so you can win awesome prizes by completing at least 50% of the survey. I found it easy to vote with friends like Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero, Chicago Soydairy, & more being nominated, but even if you just want to vote for little old me on page 5 of the survey, I won't be mad at ya!

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe, but inspiration struck a few weeks ago & I thought I would share it with you. We love cornbread & homemade burger buns around here, so why not combine the two & make a Cornbread Burger Bun? This is definitely a cross between a fluffy burger bun & cornbread, so don't go expecting it to be a rounded version of traditional cornbread. While I used a stand mixer, all steps can be done by hand as well.

Cornbread Buns
Ingredients:
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tbsp Earth Balance, melted (oil also works, but changes the flavor slightly)
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup corn, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp coarse cornmeal (optional)

Instructions:
Combine the water & yeast, gently stir, & set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast forms a foamy layer on top of the water.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1/2 cup of the whole wheat pastry flour & 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour.

Add the yeast mixture & mix with the dough hook attachment on low speed until combined.

Add the salt, cornmeal, melted Earth Balance, agave nectar, & corn, continue mixing on medium-low speed until combined.

With the mixer running, add the remaining 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour & 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. Continue mixing until you have a slightly sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of bowl.

Let the mixer knead the dough for about 1 minute, then transfer the dough to a large bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then with a dish towel & leave it to rise in a warm place until it has doubled (about 2 hours).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat & sprinkle with coarse cornmeal, if using.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface & knead for a few seconds, then divide the dough into 6 balls to make the rolls.

Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel & leave them to rise a second time for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until they puff up noticeably.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 20 to 25, switching the positions of the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the buns from oven when rolls are golden on top, browned on the bottom & sound hollow when tapped on the base.

Let them cool on a wire rack for a bit, then slice them open & enjoy!

These would be great with homemade veggie burgers, but we kept the Southern theme going & filled them with black eyed peas & tender Collards Greens with tomatoes! While the recipe may seem time consuming, it's a very hands off process & a great Sunday afternoon project. The recipe yields 6, but could easily be doubled, as they freeze well! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!