Tamale Pie

I added about 2 oz of diced, browned tempeh to my version of
this, but tempeh by itself is not a vlf ingredient so I did not
include it in the recipe. I doubt it was enough to raise the fat
content of the recipe above 15%cff, but I made it optional for
those who keep track of cff by individual food rather than by
recipe. I made this up night before last, and I'm just finishing
the leftovers. it was delicious and simple. if you like fatfree
cheese, you could melt some into the corn meal mixture, but it
was good without it.

tamale pie

2 c water
1 c fine yellow corn meal
dash salt
2 tsp chili powder

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
(or about 1 1/2 c cooked dried black beans)
12 oz chunky salsa
1 diced jalapeno (or to taste)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and cracked
(or just under 1/2 tsp ground cumin)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and cracked
(or under 1/2 tsp ground coriander)
2 small or 1 large carrot, chopped


prepare spices and then sautee carrots in vinegar or whatever you
usually use, along with the spices. add the jalapeno and the
beans, stirring and cooking about 3 min, then add salsa and
reduce heat to a simmer. while the bean mixture is simmering,
bring 2c water to boil with dash of salt. a little at a time,
sprinkle the corn meal into the boiling water, stirring
constantly to avoid lumps. continue sprinkling and stirring
until you have a thick porridge resembling grits or cream of
wheat (ymmv with the amount of corn meal this takes -- don't
force all the corn meal into the batter if it looks done with
less). remove batter from heat and stir in chili powder. the
bean mixture should be just about cooked now -- if carrots are
tender, remove bean mixture from heat.

spread 1/2 the corn meal mixture into the bottom of a large loaf
pan or small baking dish. spread all of the bean mixture (or as
much as reaonably fits in your pan) onto the corn batter. top
with remaining half of the batter, kind of like a top and bottom
crust. bake at 400 f for 30 min or until the top corn meal
batter is pretty firmly set.

garnish, if desired, with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, scallions,
hot sauce, etc.