Tamale Pie

I found this recipe quite some time ago and made it back then. It was already vegan but I made some substitutions and left out the oil. If you want it to be whole food plant based then just leave off the cheese at the end. The flavors of this dish were amazing. This made 4 large servings or you could get 6 smaller ones if you served with a side dish or side salad. The  leftovers reheated very well either in the microwave or in a toaster oven. 

Filling:

• 3/4 cup soy curls
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 1 small/medium poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can sliced black olives, drained
• 3/4 cup corn - I used frozen and just let it sit out as I prepared everything
• 1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce

Topping:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds (optional)

Garnish:

• pickled jalapenos
• salsa
• shredded lettuce
• guacamole

Preheat toaster oven to 400F. Add the soy curls (I broke the bigger pieces into bite-sized pieces) to veggie broth or water to rehydrate for 10-15 minutes.

While the soy curls are hydrating add the onion, poblano and garlic to a nonstick skillet with 2 tablespoons of water. Sauté for 7-9 minutes until onion is translucent.

Drain the soy curls and press out all of the water. Add them to the skillet with the spices and cook 5-8 minutes until the curls have browned a little. Add a splash more of water if things start to stick.

Stir in tomatoes and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Stir in olives, corn and hot sauce. Cook 5-7 minutes until everything is hot and filling is thick.

Spread filling on bottom of 8x8 baking dish.

Prepare the topping. Add water to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Whisk in cornmeal. Remove from heat and whisk for 2-4 minutes until you have a thick mixture.

Quickly spread this mixture over the filling.

Bake for 40 minutes until top is lightly browned. Sprinkle Daiya (if using) and bake 6-8 minutes until cheese is melted. Let cool for 10-12 minutes before slices. (You can see I forgot to get the pic of the finished pie before digging in).

Garnish, other good garnishes would be sour cream, sliced scallions, fresh jalapenos or a vegan cheese sauce. (Sorry this pic is a little blurry.)

Enjoy!!!!!!