(Gluten-Free) (Vegetarian) Tamale Pie

One of the most successful dishes at my son's bar mitzvah was the Tamale Pie. I am very proud of the recipe; it is both vegetarian and gluten-free. I know the dish was successful because no one said to me, "You know, this isn't bad for gluten-free vegetarian food."

The recipe can be found at the Website below. I am trying to win a contest with this recipe, so please feel free to leave a post on my recipe entry about how much you liked the recipe. Or hated the recipe. Or found the recipe intriguing. Or hate rampant self-promotion.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/forums/new-year-new-you-challenge/topic/gluten-free-vegetarian-tamale-pie#anchor-2

And just in case the link above is no longer active, here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup carrot
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup prepared picante
• 2 tsp. (6 Tbs.) chili powder
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1 cup masa flour
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby or Cojack cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Finely chop the onion, green pepper, and carrot. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil until the onion is translucent. Mix in the tomato sauce, picante, chili powder, and beans and cook for another 5 minutes on low to medium heat. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, mix together masa flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the egg, oil, and milk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix together.

Spray a 9” x 14” glass baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1/3 of the corn meal mixture to make a thin layer that covers the entire bottom of the baking dish. Bake the thin layer for 3-5 minutes, just until firm. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the shredded cheese on the bottom crust, add the beans, and spread the remaining corn meal mixture over the beans. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cornbread covering is firm.