In my efforts to eat more vegetarian style I created this tamale pie the other night and was so pleased with it I will probably make it again. It is obvious that vegan to carnivore versions of this can be made. Mine was almost vegan - I used real cheese, but if there is a melty vegan cheese out there tell me and next time it will be full on vegan.
Here is what I used - you can do it how you like. This recipe is small because I am cooking for two and a lot was left over - but it was really good the next day too.
- 1/2 chub of pre-made organic polenta. Crumbled and set aside. I used San Gennaro.
- olive oil
- fake meat - the kind that resembles the texture of ground beef. I used a product called Oh Naturel! that may be only available in Canada.
- 1/2 can of red kidney beans - rinsed
- 1/4 can of corn - drained
- chopped onion
- chopped garlic
- salt/pepper
- cumen
- chili powder or chili spice mix
- 1 can of red enchilada sauce - you might want two cans so you can pour some over right before serving.
- cheese of your choice
In a small sauce pan on a low heat start your sauce. The only sauce I could find at my IGA was mild so I had to rev it up with some tobasco, cumen (love the cumen), red pepper flakes, etc. Simmer for a few minutes then turn off the heat to cool.
In a skillet with a little olive oil start to wilt your onion and garlic then throw in your fake meat (especially if frozen).
While this is working get a loaf pan (I guess any deep pan will do depending on how big you make this - I used a loaf pan) and coat the bottom with a little olive oil. Take a few handfuls of the crumbled polenta and press into the pan. Save some for the top layer of the pie.
Turn off your meat/onion/garlic mixture and gently fold in the corn and kidney beans and extra spices like the chili powder or mix or what have you.
Put this mixture on top of the packed polenta. Take the rest of the crumbled polenta and sprinkle on top of the meat mixture - hopefully it should be enough to make a top crust but if not - no big whoop because you are going to pour your sauce over the entire thing anyway.
After the sauce is poured place your cheese or fake cheese over the sauce. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until your cheese is bubbly and melty. Let it rest for about 5 minutes before digging in to it.
How old were you when you had your first "official" boyfriend or girlfriend? What was he/she like?
16 or 17.
Gay.
It's been a year since the launch of a_website_I_don't_feel_like_flogging_on_my_blog_because_it_sounds_way_stupid.com -- a site featuring "lifecasters" -- people who broadcast their lives on the internet via live video 24/7. What's your take on the "lifecasting" phenomenon? Do you find it engaging to tune into other people's lives on the web?
This would only be interesting to me if the person(s) were blind or conjoined at the neck or have 36 inch fingernails...preferably all three at the same time.
How do people with hideously long finger nails wipe their butts anyway...
What do you bring most to a friendship?
loyalty...but maybe you should ask my friends...their opinion may differ.
What one common food item do you refuse to eat?
Birthday Cake.
The kind with candles.
It doesn't matter if it is a 4 year old, 24 year old or 84 year old blowing out those candles - there's still gonna be spit. If there is a scientific document out there that proves Crisco or Lard based frosting has antiseptic qualities, I may change my mind...but the thought of spit spray on my cake is still there.
Show us something you're allegic to.
Vox hunt must be allegic to spellcheck.
The sun.
What's the most valuable thing you've ever had stolen?
Original music. But I want to tell a different story.
A car. And it wasn't even that great of a car. It wouldn't drive in the rain and it had some other issues.
I left for a night of merriment with my boyfriend and when we came back my car was gone.
I was standing in the space where my Kermit green Toyota Corolla had been - actually looking around me like the thing might appear at any moment - asking, "You DID pick me up, right? I DIDN'T leave my car at your place, right?"
The police came and asked me a bunch of questions. Where was I when it happened?
- Out with the boyfriend.
Did I notice anything out of the ordinary?
- Yes, I do not recognize that pick-up truck and it was here when we left.
We would find out later that the car thief had stolen that pick-up
truck and left it for my car. The pick up looked like it was in a lot
better shape than my Toyota.
Did I have any idea who might have stolen the car?
- Stevie Wonder must have stolen my car because only a blind person would steal a car that looked like that.
Then the 40-ish African American policeman said something that made me gasp and take a step back. He said, "It was probably some of those nigger kids over in the next neighborhood. That car will be chopped before you know it."
Was this guy testing me? Certainly he was not serious! Did he just say what I thought I heard? By the look on the boyfriend's face - he had. I reminded him it was a Toyota Corolla from the SIXTIES, not a Porsche. I tried not to show too much disgust, because I wanted my car found.
When it was found it was wrecked. All the tires were flat and it wouldn't turn over. It had also been in a hit and run. My dad decided that it wasn't worth keeping, so he traded what was left of my beloved green Toyota for the cost of the tow to the junk yard.
I cleaned out everything and found some weird and telling stuff in the floorboards.
Candy wrappers - the thief or thieves had a major Baby Ruth and Twix habit.
Cassette tapes of music I hate: Ozzy Osborne, Bark at the Moon...Z Z Top, Fandango! - The thief or thieves had shit taste in music and no car stereo system to play it on!
The one thing I did not find that I lament the loss of to this day is a file folder full of flyers.
At the time, one of my freelance jobs was creating the show flyers for a punk club in town called The DMZ (now Vino's) and I had left a folder of about a years worth of original flyers in the backseat of my car. This was before the day of digital graphics - so each one of these flyers was created by hand...with glue and pens...then taken down to Kinko's for duplication. I imagined these car thievin' wankers, driving down the street, hopped up on chocolate, smashing into parked cars while shredding and throwing my flyers out the windows like confetti.
The car thief was eventually found and thrown in jail. I can't remember his name, although one of them was Christopher. Christopher Something or Something Christopher...
The car? Well, it was on it's last leg anyway. The valuable thing was the contents of that folder. History.
I was googling "cardboard shelves" when I came across this website. There is a section devoted to prisoner inventions and an installation of a prison cell...and I was very intrigued. Art.
Do you have a particular "catch phrase" for which you are known?
Submitted by Emu with a Clue.
Blow me.
1. Buy a printer.
This is at the top of my list and the thing I am going to hate doing the most. As my monkeypal SixBucks says, "Printers are a scam!"
Don't I know it!
On the scale of long term need I am at about 50%. Short term - 90%. That left over 10% represents just going to Kinkos. But doing things online with Kinkos is a hassle too. So it has become a hassle trade off. Hassle trade off...wasn't he the guy eating a hamburger off the floor???
I hated my Epson CX4600 so much that I refuse to even look at anything with the Epson name on it. I had an HP that ran really well for about 5 years. But I think I am going to pick up an inexpensive Canon Pixma. I should do that today.
2. Go to Home Depot and get:
Paving stones
Paint
Stuff to make shelves
Ugh, I do not want to think about it...
3. Finish the two paintings I started 2 weeks ago.
I have a bad habit of starting a painting and walking away from it about 3/4ths of the way.
4. Get rid of this headache.
Why I put this on a "to - do" list is beyond me other than I want everyone to know I have had a headache of various degree for the last FIVE DAYS.
5. Clean the oven.
6. Clean the computer room.
No, I think I would rather sit in the computer room and type about cleaning and organizing it...
I should also put "get cork board wall covering for computer room" up there under Home Depot.
7. Give the cat a bath.
Any pointers and hints on doing this without harm to me or the cat would be appreciated. I've washed my cat maybe three times since she found me and she makes me feel like I am killing her every time. I should bathe her more often, but she is an indoor cat and I don't care.
8. Get a haircut.
9. Write some letters...with my hand.
I write so much on the computer that I was shocked when I tried to write an actual paper and envelope letter and my hand cramped after the "Dear Blah Blah, How are you? I am fine." My handwriting looked like I was jotting down notes while riding in a stage coach. Horrible!
10. Remember I wrote a list.
