A Day Off + Easy Tamale Pie Recipe

Hey, folks! I hope you are all having a lovely week so far. After teaching a high intensity circuit training class yesterday morning, I had the entire day free from any obligations. It was truly amazing! I was able to get three loads of laundry washed and dried, I read more of Wild, and I sat down and watched a movie; yes, I watched a full movie in the middle of the day!

Throughout the day, I made three loaves of bread (two to give away and one to keep) with my bread machine I bought with graduation money. If I remember correctly, I've made 10 loaves of bread so far. Each loaf has turned out great and the machine itself still works like a charm (thank goodness!).

My favorite thing about being home in the evening is being able to make dinner. I love the taste of Mexican food, but I'm not always in the mood to "pretty-up" and go out for dinner... So, when the craving hit me today, I made a super simple dish: Tamale Pie. If you're unfamiliar with Tamale Pie, it's a Mexican-style dish made of a meat mixture baked with cornbread on top. The recipe that inspired me was meant to be cooked in a slow cooker, but I didn't want it to be an all-day process; I just wanted to cook it and be done with it! It tasted great (a million times better than the photo looks!) and it definitely satisfied my craving for Mexican food.

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs ground meat (I used 93% lean ground beef)
1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
1 can black beans (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn (11 ounces), drained
1 can diced tomatoes with green peppers (14.5 ounces), drained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 package (8.5 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix (I used Jiffy brand)
2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350* F and spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onions together until the meat is cooked through. Drain the mixture and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, cheese, cilantro, salt, chili powder, pepper, and cumin. Mix until well incorporated. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and bake for about 15 minutes.

While the mixture is baking, beat the eggs in a small mixing bowl. Add the cornbread/muffin mix and mix well. Spoon the mixture over the meat mixture and continue baking for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.