I love cooking and baking these days (as I always do), but am finding that I love it a little bit more now that I have so many beautiful photographs to show for my scrumptious creations.

That is the ticket for me. I need photographs to go along with recipes in order for them to appeal to me. I usually only buy cookbooks that contain photos and that is something that I want to make sure my book has. Lots of beautiful, colorful, mouth-watering photos!

Speaking of mouth-watering photos and scrumptious creations…

Tamale Pie

I love one dish meals that require minimal preparation, especially with so little time to spend in the kitchen these days with my little ones. This tamale pie is hearty and delicious and so simple to prepare.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Veggie/Bean Mixture

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 (796 ml) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (156 ml) can tomato paste
• 1 (540 ml) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (340 g) package veggie ground (Yves)

Cornmeal Topping

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine

Directions

Heat the sunflower oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and pressed garlic and saute for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the diced green pepper, chili powder, paprika, sea salt, pepper and corn. Continue to cook 8-10 minutes, until the onion and green peppers are soft. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, black beans and veggie ground. Cook about 5 minutes more, until the entire mixture is hot and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Pour the veggie/bean mixture into a 2 1/2 or 3 quart casserole dish.

Prepare the cornmeal topping by whisking together the water, milk, cornmeal and sea salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the margarine. Pour the cornmeal topping evenly over top of the veggie/bean mixture.

Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes.

YUM!

If a picture speaks a thousand words then there is no need to continue this post.

🙂