Tempeh Tamale Pie

This amazing recipe comes from Mama Pea and you can see her original recipe here. I tweaked it to my personal likes and was very happy with the results. Please note that hubby Tom had to have two servings to fill him up. One was plenty for me with some romaine lettuce and salsa on the side. This is a great dish for kids! Here is a link to a post Mama Pea did about how to turn 5 Basic Vegan Recipes Into 25 Different Meals. If you are just starting out eating a whole foods plant based diet or are in a rut about what to cook – regardless of what food plan you follow, her post is inspiring and might just get you enthused about getting back in the kitchen. If you want to know more about Tempeh see my post here.

Tempeh Tamale Pie

For the filling:

• 1 medium onion or 1/2 of a large onion, chopped
• One 8 oz. package tempeh, crumbled using a box grater to break it up into little bits.
• 2 t. minced garlic
• 1 t. chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. apple cider or red wine vinegar
• 1 t. maple syrup (optional – leave it out if you want it less sweet)
• One 14 oz. can tomato sauce -if you use no salt added it would greatly reduce the sodium
• One 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed – if you use no salt added it would greatly reduce the sodium

For the crust:

• 2/3 c. cornmeal
• 1/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/2 c. non-dairy or organic milk
• 1 T. maple syrup
• 2 T. unsweetened applesauce
• 1 c. frozen corn, defrosted and drained

For topping:

sliced olives, fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges, avocado

To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure your tempeh is gluten-free and sub millet, chickpea, oat or brown rice flour for the wheat flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. Place a large skillet over medium high heat and spritz with cooking spray or a tablespoon of water. Add onion and sauté until softened and starting to brown, about 4 or 5 minutes.
2. Crumble tempeh into the pan with the sautéed onion.
3. Lightly brown tempeh, cooking for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
4. To the pan, add garlic, chili powder, cumin, green chilies, 1/2 t. salt, vinegar, 1 t. maple syrup, tomato sauce and beans.
5. Allow bean mixture to simmer for a few minutes to meld flavors. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray or lightly coated with oil and set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.
7. In your liquid measuring cup, combine milk, maple syrup and applesauce.
8. Add wet ingredients to the cornmeal mixture and stir until just combined.
9. Gently fold in the defrosted corn.
10. Spread corn mixture carefully and evenly over the top of the casserole dish.
11. If using, top the casserole with shredded cheese.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cornmeal topping is cooked through.

Serve with desired toppings.

Yield: 6 Servings

Nutritional Information

Per Serving: 253.5 Calories, 4.3g Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 683.4mg Sodium, 65.3mg Potassium, 43.1g Carbohydrates, 7.1g Fiber, 9.8g Protein, WWPP 6

Recipe adapted from Mama Pea @Peas and Thank You.