Tamale Pie Saturday

I'm not a cook and I'm not a baker. When I'm not grabbing something on the go, I'm sitting down at a restaurant or a cafe for my meals. When I do prepare my own food, it's assemble, don't cook. I eat tons of cheese and crackers, yogurt and granola, and snack foods. Since we all know that October is the best time to get your awesome on, I decided to kick it off by buying the ingredients to make a dish that I love: tamale pie! It's among my favorite dishes to make for a few reasons:

1. It's not difficult to make.
2. It's a casserole and I love casseroles.
and
3. It's DELICIOUS!

Here we go. This is the recipe I am using:

This tamale pie recipe is made with ground beef, onion, peppers, tomatoes, corn, olives, and cheese, and has a cornmeal and cheese crust.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 large can (28 ounces) tomatoes, cut up
• 1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 small can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• dash black pepper
• 1 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• .
• Crust:
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, for topping (optional)

Preparation:

Brown ground beef with onions and green pepper; drain well. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder and black pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until thickened. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Set filling aside.
In a saucepan, combine cornmeal, salt, water and chili powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in butter. Spread half of the mixture into a baking dish, about 12- x 8-inches. Spoon filling over bottom crust; spoon remaining cornmeal mixture over filling. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. If desired, sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the crust about 5 minutes before casserole is done.
Serves 6.

*This recipe I'm sharing is from http://southernfood.about.com

fall= vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Last October, I brought a vegan pumpkin cheesecake to school for my coworkers. I'm not vegan, but I think this is totally delicious and I eat so much cheese and ice cream that whenever I can avoid it without missing it, I jump on the opportunity...

and so, it is time to start baking and sharing. The cool thing about this recipe is that my coworkers loved it! And they are old school Italian women who love GOOD food and tease those of us who eat things like vegan asian food and drink almond milk. And so, I share this recipe with you. Because it is delicious.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

12 ounces firm silken tofu, pressed and drained
8 ounces vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti Cream Cheese)
1 (14 ounce) can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 prepared graham cracker crust

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Puree all ingredients besides the crust in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. Pour into pie crust and bake for 50 minutes.

3. Allow to cool for 30 minutes, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

Makes: 1 Pie, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 50 minutes

I got this recipe from: http://acam.typepad.com/communitytable