Macrobiotic Black Bean & Cornbread Casserole

From "The Hip Chick's Guide To Macrobiotics" by Jessica Porter, Corn Pona Lisa (Black Bean and Corn Bread Casserole)

• Ready In: 25 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  inches  piece  kombu
• 2  cups  dried black turtle beans, soaked overnight with 2-inch piece of kombu
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  large onion, diced
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4  ears corn, cut off kernals and reserve kernals
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1  tablespoon ginger juice
• 2  tablespoons  shoyu
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped fresh cilantro
•  corn oil or  olive oil

• Corn Bread

• 2 1⁄2 cups cornmeal
• 1 1⁄2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1⁄3 cups unbleached white flour
• 3  tablespoons baking powder
• 1  teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1⁄4 cups water
• 1 1⁄3 cups soymilk
• 2⁄3 cup light olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup maple syrup
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F After beans and kombu have soaked overnight, discard the soaking water. Clice kombu into thin strips. Place beans and kombu in a 4 or 5 liter pressure cooker and cover with fresh water so that the water comes to about 1 inch over the beans. Close the pressure cooker and bring the beans to pressure. Place flame deflector under pressure cooker, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 30 minutes. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook beans in a saucepan with kombu over medium-low heat for 1 1/2 hours.).
2. While beans are cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, sea salt, and corn until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Grate a 2 inch piece of ginger into pulp and then squeeze out 1 tablespoon of juice. Add cumin, ginger juice, and shoyu, and cook for another 5 minutes. When beans are cooked, strain them and add to onion mixture. Mix in cilantro. Pour mixture into a lightly oiled 9 x 13 inch casserole dish - use corn or olive oil.
3. For corn bread topping, sift together dry ingredients and then blend together wet ingredients. Mix them together until just blended.
4. Pour batter over black-bean mixture and bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.