Its been ridiculously hot here lately. So hot that I’ve just been living off smoothies and salad. Don’t get me wrong I love the refreshing meals, but I’ve missed cooking. So yesterday I decided to heat up the oven and get cooking. The result…this amazing tamale pie. I did cook the lentils myself, but if you want a quick meal feel free to use 2 cans of lentils.
LENTIL TAMALE PIE – serves 6
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced – optional
- 1 cup corn
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 3 tbsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Cornbread Topping
- 1 cup polenta
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup soy milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper – optional
- 2 tbsp non dairy margarine
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Filling:
In a medium pot bring the lentil and water to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 – 25 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm the oil until hot. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and jalapeno. Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add in the lentils, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir well. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the lentil mixture into a deep casserole dish and set aside.
Topping
In a pot whisk together the water and polenta over medium high heat. Whisk until it start to thicken slowly add in the milk. Cook for 5 minutes until thick. Stir in the margarine salt, pepper and cayenne.
Pour the polenta topping evenly over the lentils, making sure that its completely covered.
Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with salsa.
