Vegan Tamale Casserole

I spent a lot of time in my kitchen yesterday.  It was a rainy afternoon, and I enjoyed the warmth and comfort of my kitchen while I cooked lentils, chopped fresh herbs, and threw spices around.  I was trying out yet another new vegan recipe, which I found sometime back on VegWeb (one of my new fave websites).

When I was a kid my mom used to make a ground beef/green bean casserole with a mashed potato topping that I loved.  When I ran across the "Vegan Tamale Casserole" recipe, it immediately reminded me of that dish that my mom used to make, but with a southwestern flair, and it's vegan. Perfect!

Here's the recipe:

Vegan Tamale Casserole

{original recipe here}

Serves 6-12

Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup lentils
28-oz. can tomato sauce
14-oz. can diced or petite diced tomatoes
1 small can green chilies
14-oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
8-oz. frozen corn or 14-oz. can corn, drained
1 medium or large onion, chopped
2 cups cornmeal grits (polenta)
cumin (to taste)
onion powder (to taste)
garlic salt or garlic powder (to taste)
oregano (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse lentils, combine lentils and 2 cups water in saucepan and bring to boil.  Stir, cover and reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, combine lentils, tomato sauce, tomatoes, chilies, beans, corn, onion, and spices.

Bring 5 cups water to boil in a saucepan.   Mix 2 cups polenta in 1-1/2 cups cold water.  When water in saucepan starts to boil, slowly stir in polenta.  Reduce heat to medium, continue to stir until polenta thickens.

Pour lentil/tomato mixture into a 9 x 13 inch pan or casserole dish.  

Pour polenta on top, spreading to cover.  Bake in a 350 degree oven about 1 hour.

A couple of changes that I made.  I added a LOT more green chilies (we love 'em) and I added some sliced black olives and a huge handful of chopped fresh cilantro to the lentil/tomato mixture.

Next time I make this I will halve the recipe; this makes a huge amount, way too much for just Mike and me.  I ended up freezing more than half of it.

I thought the polenta topping was a bit bland; next time I'll add either chopped cilantro (for both color & taste) or a teaspoon or so of sea salt, or both.

I thought the lentil/tomato mixture was a bit runny.  I think I'd cut back on the tomato sauce and perhaps add some barley and/or quinoa to thicken it up a bit.

In spite of the minor flaws, I LOVED this casserole, and will definitely make it again.  It's a totally comforting dish and was a lovely, lovely dinner on a rainy evening.  And so colorful alongside a salad of bright greens, red, and orange.

Got any recommendations for vegan dishes and/or websites?  Would love to have 'em.

Have a great day, every day!

Roasted Yams - Easy Delish Vegan Dish

One of my new favorite dishes; so easy and soooo yummy.  You don't need to be a vegan to enjoy this.  You'll never crave french fries again!

 

Roasted Yams

"Roasted, thinly sliced yams or potato of your choice, quickly adds a yummy side-dish to your meal. Best when served with chicken, steak, or a mild fish."

Ingredients:

1 large yam, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices 1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1.	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet or shallow baking dish with aluminum foil.
2.	Arrange slices of potato in the prepared pan so they are overlapping slightly. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle olive oil over them as evenly as possible.
3.	Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender and have begun to wrinkle around the edges, about 30 minutes.

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Printed from Allrecipes.com 1/14/2010