Tofu Tamale Pie

Yes, the love affair with tofu has not become official. It exists, and I, as a vegetarian, try my best to make peace with the soy product. I have had fried tofu which left much to be desired on the palate. In one experiment, I sautéed tofu in salsa. That was amazing, and a great siding to salad!

But I must say, I like my tofu cooked in real saucy dishes so as to absorb the flavor and add nice texture to what may otherwise be called “soup.” Take the Tamale Pie. You could add can after can of beans, but the tofu in this recipe really makes up for lack of filler and soaker uper of liquid! And in my humble opinion…it tastes much better than chicken!!
So, try it out. It was my food experiment for January…and won approval from three teenagers!

The Bottom:
.:Sauté in oil:.
¾ cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped bell pepper
3 cloves of garlic
.:Stir in:.
2 Tbs Chili Powder
½ tsp cumin
.:Mix well then add:.
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
.:Bring to a boil, then stir in:.
1 – 2 cans kidney beans (2 cups cooked from dry)
1 can corn
1 pkg diced firm tofu (1 ½ cups)
Half to a whole chopped tomato…pending taste…

Simmer and season with salt, pepper, chipotle Tabasco, Louisiana Red Dot Hot Sauce, fresh chopped parsley…
Continue to simmer while you prepare the “Top”

The Top:
.:In a Large bowl, sift together:.
½ cup cornmeal
½ cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
.:In a Medium bowl, wisk together:.
1 egg
1 egg white
2/3 cup milk (I used soy…it was good)
3 Tbs. melted butter

Mix wet into Large bowl of dry.
Fold in 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large casserole dish, dump in “the Bottom." Dollop corn bread mixture on top, smearing around so it covers the bottom. Have fun and garnish with rings of green peppers…be colorful and add rings of red bell peppers…toss on a couple of sliced black olives if you like em…

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is brown and a stick inserted ONLY INTO THE TOPPING comes out clean. Spoon into dishes, dollop with sour cream, and serve!!

This was really good, if not better, the next day…just so you know.