Vegetarian Tamale Pie

danakscully64's Note:

I combined two recipes for this and made modifications to make it vegan. Note that Morningstar Farms recently changed their product to include egg and dairy, so read the label before buying (not all stores carry the brand new bags, Boca is my second choice). Don't be scared off by the vegetarian/vegan label if that's not your dietary preference, this dish is a traditional comfort food. The best part is it's an all-in-one meal, you don't have to serve side dishes (although a dark green salad with a light dressing would go well too). Note that the photo to the side (from me in the baking dish) is the recipe cut in half.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

Filling

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 (12 ounce) bag Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Grillers recipe crumbles
• 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans or 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans , drained and rinsed
• 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 chipotle chile , plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, from can chipotle in adobo
• 1 cup cheddar cheese , grated (regular or soy)
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Cornbread

• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 2⁄3; cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1⁄3; cup oil
• 3 tablespoons melted margarine (vegan)
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 2 eggs , equivalent substitute (I use Ener-G)
• 1 ¼ cups soymilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the crumbles and heat through. Sprinkle mixture with cumin.
4. Add the beans, tomatoes, chiles and adobo sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro.
5. Spread the crumble/bean mixture in the prepared baking dish, pressing down on it with the back of a spoon to make an even, compact layer.
6. Prepare the cornbread. Combine dry ingredients in bowl, then add remaining wet ingredients. Stir until combined. Spread the cornbread batter over the crumble mixture and bake until the cornbread is golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes (or longer depending on oven, mine took closer to 30 minutes). Let the tamale pie stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.