Vegetable Tamale Pie

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small sweet potato
• 2 cups or 1 can black beans
• 1/2 bunch green onions
• 1 medium poblano pepper
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper
• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded cheddar, optional
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, optional

Directions

1. Chop the onion and finely mince the garlic, then add both to a large skillet with the olive oil over medium heat. As they soften, peel the sweet potato and cut it into dice. Stir the sweet potato into the skillet and keep cooking.
2. Remove the seeds from the poblano and jalapeno, dice the peppers, and add them to the skillet. Stir in the drained and rinsed black beans, enchilada sauce, and sliced green onions, then warm everything together. Taste the filling, season it with the chili powder, cumin, and salt, and adjust the seasoning however you like.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. For the cornbread topping, mix the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl until well blended. Add the milk, egg, vegetable oil, shredded cheese, and roughly chopped cilantro leaves, stirring only until the dry ingredients are moistened and the batter looks uniform. Lightly beating the egg before it goes in makes this part easier.
4. Pour the vegetable filling into a deep pie dish, cast iron skillet, or 8x8 inch casserole dish. Spoon the cornbread batter over the filling and spread it into an even layer. Bake in the 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes, until the cornbread topping is golden brown.