Tamale Pie and Toffee Brownies

I am always looking for easy recipes to make for dinner that are healthy and fast. When I saw this recipe on my friend Nicole’s blog, I knew I had to try this. I did however change it around some. Instead of using the crock pot, I decided to place the dish in the oven and make it that way instead of the crock pot as I simply forgot to make the meal before I left for work and did not feel like waiting 6 hours until it was finished. I also added a few things as well.

Tamale Pie

Serves 6

From Prevention RD

Ingredients:

Cornbread topping
3/4 cup cornmeal

1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup skim milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

Filling
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 can corn, drained (I used Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn)

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 epazote mexican seasoning

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup (1/2 small onion), diced

1/2 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup gouda cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8×8 pan with cooking spray. Place all the ingredient minus the cornbread mixture into a bowl and stir. Pour filling in the pan.

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornbread topping. When finished, pour evenly over the filling, spreading with a spatula if needed.

Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on when the cornbread looks finished and the top is browned.

Nutrition Information (for 1/6th of recipe, without the Gouda cheese): 323 calories; 5 g. fat; 43 mg. cholesterol; 335 mg. sodium; 57.5 g. carbohydrate; 10.8 g. fiber; 12.2 g. protein

This dish was delicious and perfect to celebrate Cinco De Mayo tomorrow. As far as the Epazote seasoning goes, that was a gift from my Aunt Jill (I mean my Uncle Mark) for Christmas from Penzey Spices. It is a Mexican spice and therefore thought it would be a great addition to this dish. This was delicious and highly recommended it.

Another quick recipe I wanted to share with you was Toffee Brownies. We made this in my cooking class last night. They are so easy to make and so good….mmmm

Toffee Brownies

From Paula Deen

Ingredients

1 (17.6-ounce) package brownie mix with walnuts

Vegetable oil cooking spray

3 (6-ounce) candy bars with almonds and toffee chips

Directions