Vegan Tamale Pie with Pico de Gallo

Hi again!  I've been vegan now since the beginning of January and I feel better both mental and physically, not to mention emotionally.  Eating fresh food is simply better for you.  If you are looking to replace some of your weekly dinners with a healthy alternative, consider this dish.  You won't believe it doesn't have meat in it!

First off, this is cooked in a crockpot.  I'm sure you could modify this recipe for the oven. Set Crockpot to HIGH.

Pico de Gallo

-1 small onion
-1 large tomato
-2 jalapenos, remove seeds
-1/2 red onion
-1 green onion
-cilantro roughly chopped
-1/2 lemon
-1/4 tspn Garlic Salt
Finely chop everything.  Remove the tomato goo and seeds and discard or use for something else.  Mix it all in a bowl. Squirt the lemon juice and add the garlic salt and mix again.  Serve chilled or room temp.  its goo either way!  Easily double this recipe and eat on tortilla chips.

Vegan Tamale Pie

First to make the masa:

-2 Cups Instant Masa Harina
-1 tspn Baking Powder
-1/4 tspn Salt
-2 Cups Vegetable Stock
-1/2 Cup Olive Oil

Slowly mix all of these ingredients together until it has a peanut butter like consistency. Cover with plastic wrap and set it aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling:

-2 Tbspn Olive Oil
- 2 lbs equivalent of vegan ground meat substitute aka "smeat"
-1 Cup Vegetable Stock
-1 Onion, finely chopped
-3 cloves Garlic, minced
-1 can diced tomatoes, texmex style or mexican style
-1 can corn, drained
-1 can black beans, drained
-1 tspn Taco Seasoning
-2 tbspn cornstarch
-1 small can green chilis
- a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes if you want it spicier

1. Sautee the onions and garlic until softened.
2. Add the smeat and spices.  Heat through for a few minutes. 
3. Add the corn, beans, diced tomatoes and green chilis.
4. Pour the filling into the crockpot.  Whisk together the cornstarch and stock, pour it into the crockpot and give it a little stir.
5.  Take spoonfuls of masa and drop them on top of the filling. 
6. Let cook for 3 hours.
7. Serve with a couple spoons of pico de gallo over it.