Meatless Monday – Tamale Pie

Did anyone else have lots of yummy party food for the Superbowl yesterday???

This football-obsessed household loves having an excuse to make some of our favorite tailgating recipes and party appetizers!  In honor of the game being held in New Orleans, of course we had to make Gumbo (using organic chicken andouille sausage and amped up with lots of spicy creole seasoning), along with Caesar salad (dressing made with Vegenaise soy-free mayo and minus the anchovy paste), and soft pretzel bites with beer cheese dip (made with a local IPA and ground horseradish instead of jalapenos).  Darren also made some buffalo wings for himself with a homemade spicy garlic wing sauce (hmmm….maybe after reading my post about the sketchy ingredients in wing sauce???)

Anyway, it was a fun and relaxing family day around here filled with lots of yummy food.  I am such a sucker for salty snacks and good appetizers so I think the pretzel bites did me in!

As much fun as it is to indulge in a special meal every once in awhile, I know that I need to get back on track right away with a day of clean eating afterwards.

Today will be filled with lots of green juice for breakfast (this one has kale, romaine, celery, cucumber, an apple, a baby clementine, a squeeze of lemon and a teaspoon of spirulina)

A huge salad for lunch (romaine with lots of veggies and tahini/lemon/cayenne dressing just like this one)

Fruits and Veggies for snacks

Add in a good workout, loads of water, and a Meatless Monday dinner and I will be right back on track.  This recipe comes from Peas and Thank You, one of my favorite sources for kid-friendly vegan and vegetarian recipes.

Starting line-up of antioxidant, protein, and fiber packed ingredients including veggies, beans, and tempeh.  If you are not familiar with tempeh, it is a fermented soy product native to Indonesia.  It has a nutty flavor and is versatile for vegetarian cooking.  It is generally found in the refrigerated section of the produce department near the sprouts and tofu.  This is a great recipe to try it out since it is crumbled up into the chili mixture.

Chop pepper, onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, grate tempeh with a cheese grater into uniformly-size crumbly pieces.

Add tempeh and 3 tablespoons of water and cook tempeh for another 5 minutes.

Add spices, tomato sauce and beans let this simmer for about 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix liquid ingredients together in a glass measuring cup and add to dry.  Stir until just combined and add in corn.  Forget to take pictures……

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with olive oil and add veggie/bean/tempeh mixture.  Top with cornbread mixture and bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Top individual servings with sour cream, guacamole, and/or chopped cilantro.

Tempeh Tamale Pie

Adapted from Peas and Thank You

Ingredients for the filling:

1 medium onion or 1/2 of a large onion, chopped

1 cup red or green pepper (or combination of both), chopped

1 8 oz. package tempeh, crumbled

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt (I used a little more since my tomato sauce had No Salt Added)

1 tsp maple syrup

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce (organic and BPA-free if possible!)

1 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Ingredients for the crust:

2/3 cup cornmeal

1/3 cup flour (regular, whole wheat pastry, or gluten-free alternative)

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup non-dairy or organic milk

2 T. unsweetened applesauce (or substitute melted coconut oil, grassfed butter, or olive oil)

1 T. maple syrup

1 cup frozen corn (I prefer organic, non-GMO corn)

Optional Toppings:

1/2 cup grated cheese to add to top of cornbread before baking, sour cream, chopped cilantro, guacamole, olives, etc.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place a large skillet over medium high heat and spray with olive oil or non-stick spray. Add onion, peppers, and garlic and sauté until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
• Grate or crumble tempeh and add to the pan with the sautéed vegetables.  Add 3 T. water to help steam tempeh.  Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
• To the pan, add chili powder, ground cumin, salt,  maple syrup, tomato sauce and beans.
• Allow bean mixture to simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray or lightly coated with oil and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a glass measuring cup, combine milk, maple syrup and applesauce.
• Add wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.
• Gently fold in the defrosted corn.
• Spread corn mixture carefully and evenly over the top of the casserole dish.
• If using, top the casserole with shredded cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crust is set and starting to brown.
• Serve with desired toppings.

This was the third time I’ve made this casserole and overall it was pretty good.  The filling was tasty but could potentially have a little more flavor with the addition of some fire roasted tomatoes.  I am definitely going to experiment with a variation on the cornbread topping next time to get more of a traditional cornbread top – this was just a bit flat and grainy for my tastes.  I’m thinking of switching to unbleached all purpose flour and coconut oil or grassfed butter instead of the applesauce.  But this was good for a cleaned up and dairy-free/meatless version of the classic tamale pie to end my day of back-on-track clean eating.