Eggplant Chana Masala and Cornbread Muffins

I’ve been making a lot of dishes from the Kind Diet lately. I think it’s because it was my first vegan recipe book, and I just always tend to go back for more!
This recipe was really easy to make, full of great taste and packed with protein. Chana Masala is almost like a chili, but it shouldn’t be quite so soupy. We tried it by itself in a bowl with some cornbread, and we also tried it on top of rice. I liked it better on rice, because I’m not used to Indian dishes and it helped with the spices.
Eggplant Chana Masala
• 3lg onions roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1tsp curry powder or to taste
• 1-2tsp cumin
• 1lg eggplant peeled and chopped into ½"pcs
• 2-15oz cans chickpeas drained
• 2-14oz cans peeled tomatoes drained
• 1can vegetarian chili (I used Amy's)
• 1lg handful chopped fresh cilantro-½c

Sautee onions and garlic with oil, curry and cumin in large pot until onions are soft and translucent (approx 5min). Add eggplant and sautee 5min until lightly browned and softened. Add chickpeas, tomatoes and chili. Simmer 20-30min. It will get watery, but then reduce to a thick stewy dish. Add spices to taste and stir in cilantro and serve.

I also baked up some cornbread from the Kind Diet. I chose to make them in muffin tins in hope that they would stay fresh for the next couple of days. Vegan Cornbread
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/4 cups soy/rice.almond milk
1/4 cup safflower oil
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a 9x9” baking dish or 12-cup muffin tin. Combine the syrup, soy milk, and oil in a medium bowl and mix well. In another bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix just until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. They will be golden brown and crazy delicious.