Mesquite: The Original Giving Tree

It bears leaves in the worst drought, providing patches of shade for hot and dusty cowboys. We modern-day Texans turn its trunk and branches into furniture. We package and sell its wood chips for outdoor cooking. And now we’ve discovered what Native Americans in these parts knew all along: It’s healthy and tasty to eat.

Mesquite meal, made by grinding mesquite seedpods, is nutritious and provides a sweet, nutty flavor to breads, sauces, cookies, pancakes and milkshakes, among some of the most popular recipes. Mesquite meal is high in protein, and it can stabilize blood sugar levels for diabetics because its sugar is in the form of fructose, which does not require insulin for metabolism.

Here’s a mesquite cornbread recipe from the website Mighty Foods, www.mightyfoods.com.

Mesquite Cornbread

3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup mesquite meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup buttermilk

Optional: 1 cup corn, 3/4 cup grated Monterey jack cheese, 3 tablespoons minced onion or 1 tablespoon chipotle flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl then stir into dry mixture until just combined. Add optional ingredients if desired. Spread in a greased and preheated 8x8-inch pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Serves 8.

Mesquite meal may be ordered online from several sites, including www.desertusa.com and www.therawfoodworld.com. Some Whole Foods Market stores in Texas carry mesquite meal. To check its availability, go to www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

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Clay Coppedge, a frequent contributor to Texas Co-op Power, is a staff writer and columnist for Country World newspaper.