Dinner Planner – Week of October 7, 2024

The new October cooking class has been uploaded for your viewing pleasure!  To remind, I teach a new cooking class every month with never-before-published recipes.  You can purchase one class (video and recipes) for $27 or subscribe for a minimum of 3 months for $29/month and you have access to the entire library of classes (many years worth!)

 

Here’s the October menu:  Fall Slaw with Lemon-Chile Dressing, Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Shallot-Herb Sauce , Pasta e Ceci, Pumpkin Spice Latte Coffee Cake, Roasted Fennel and Apple Gratin

Here’s your dinner planner for the week: 

 

Meatless Monday: Porcini Beans and Greens Soup, small piece of toast with cheese

Tuesday: Easy Chinese Chicken served with a side of brown rice and steamed vegetables

Wednesday: Wild Salmon Patties, baked parsnip fries, simple salad

Thursday: Creamy Chicken Potato Soup from The Kitchn

Friday (Kol Nidre): (My sister-in-law hosts, but here are some ideas – we try to not overeat or eat too much salt) Brisket, easy no-fail whole roast chicken with onions, fennel and potatoes, shredded sweet potatoes and apple, smashed potatoes, honey lemon green beans, green salad with everyday salad dressing #2, challah, grain-free apple tarte tatin, applesauce coffee cake

Saturday (Yom Kippur break fast): We do part deli (because it’s traditional for Hubs’s family) and part homemade (because I like to cook good stuff!)  Spanakopita, frittata, spinach and quinoa salad with feta, salads (like this Delicata Squash and Apple Salad, Roasted Vegetable Salad, Mejadra, Farro with Roasted Tomato Dressing,  tuna salad, chicken soup, noodle kugel (my mother-in-law’s recipe – not healthy LOL). I am also doing a cream cheese board to go with bagels and lox.  I make a fruit platter and I ask my guests to bring dessert.

Sunday: Leftovers from the day before like a scramble with leftover veggies and lox. If I have nothing leftover, I’ll plan on Baked Eggs and Greens. Serve with grilled bread drizzled with unrefined extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt.

 

I have LOVED seeing all your creations of my recipes on Instagram. If you make any of my recipes, please tag me @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman so I can check them out! I have a free Monday newsletter with my thoughts, new recipes, and things I’m loving lately. Subscribe here!

Easy Skillet Tamale Pie Recipe (Gluten-Free Option)

a tamale pie in a skillet

This savory Tamale Pie Recipe mimics traditional tamales in casserole (or pie) form! Featuring a meaty filling with beans, corn, chiles, aromatics, and enchilada sauce topped with a cheesy, fluffy cornbread crust. This easy recipe is comfort food at its absolute finest– and perfect for busy weeknights!

 

What is Tamale Pie?

Tamale pie casserole is a comforting casserole dish that features all the flavors of traditional tamales in pie form. It has a savory filling made from seasoned ground beef, chicken, or pork, combined with onions, garlic, seasonings, broth, and tomato or enchilada sauce. It’s then topped with a cornbread or masa (corn dough) batter and baked until the topping is golden and firm, creating a layered dish with a soft, flavorful base and a slightly crunchy, cornbread-like top.

This easy recipe is a great way to enjoy tamale flavors without the hard work of wrapping tamales in corn husks.

 

Why You’ll Love This Easy Tamale Pie Recipe

This dish is kind of like a tamale – but without all the work – and a chili-enchilada mash-up!  This Tamale Pie Recipe is the perfect dish to serve for Halloween night, for game days, or for a crowd on any night.  

It is so flexible too (see the notes on the bottom to make it vegan) and so easy. It reheats well and freezes well too. Just serve with a salad or a non-starchy vegetable and you have a complete meal!

For more, try these Mexican-inspired recipes: Mexican Lasagna Recipe, Make Black Beans from Scratch, Mexican Cobb Salad, or Restaurant Style Spanish Rice. 

 

Ingredient Notes

Base

  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • meat of choice: You can do ground chicken, lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground pork. 
  • sea salt 
  • freshly ground black pepper 
  • yellow onion or red onion
  • poblano pepper
  • jalapeño
  • garlic cloves
  • chili powder 
  • ground cumin 
  • small can of red enchilada sauce
  • chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • cooked beans of choice (black beans, pinto beans, etc.)
  • and/or fresh corn or frozen corn kernels 

Cornbread Topping

  • masa harina 
  • all-purpose flour: Or a good gluten-free flour blend, like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
  • aluminum-free baking powder 
  • sea salt 
  • freshly ground black pepper 
  • large egg + egg white 
  • whole milk or plain, unsweetened soy milk
  • chicken broth or vegetable stock 
  • shredded cheddar cheese: You could also do Monterey Jack or another favorite shredded cheese. 
  • sliced pickled or regular jalapeños   
  • Optional: Hot sauce and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, for serving 

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Prepare the chili: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or another large skillet that is oven-safe), heat the olive oil until it simmers. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until just starting to brown but not cooked through- about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the onions, poblanos, jalapeños, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened and the meat is cooked through- 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and/or corn kernels and remove from heat.  
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread mixture: In a large bowl, whisk the masa harina with the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chicken broth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk the batter until smooth. Fold in 1/4 cup of the cheese.  
  4. Dollop the cornbread batter over the chili meat mixture and gently spread it into an even layer. It will seem like a very thin layer of cornbread, but it will rise in the oven. Scatter the pickled or regular jalapeños over the batter, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake the tamale pie until bubbling and the cornbread is risen and lightly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.

Expert Tips

  • Masa is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. It’s made from dried corn that has been nixtamalized, which is a process in which dried corn kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution to loosen the hulls and make the corn softer for grinding. Masa harina, on the other hand, is a flour that is made from dried masa dough. Masa harina is commonly used to make corn tortillas, too, but it’s also used to make tamales, tamal de cazuela, pupusas and arepas.
  • Make it vegan: swap ground vegan protein for meat like Beyond Meat or cooked lentils. Swap flax egg (2 Tablespoons flax meal + 6 Tablespoons warm water) for egg in the batter. Use vegan cheese or omit it. Serve with dairy-free sour cream or avocado.
  • For best results, I encourage you to use a cast-iron skillet so you only need one pan for this meal. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish and top with the cornbread batter, then bake. 

Serving & Storage Tips

You can serve this delicious tamale pie recipe with any of your favorite toppings like hot sauce, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, black olives, additional cheese or green chiles, and more! 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or the microwave and serve with desired toppings. 

To freeze, let the casserole cool completely, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat, and serve! 

More Easy Casserole Recipes

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a star rating and review! I have started a weekly Monday newsletter with tips, musings, new recipes not published here, fun new finds, and more. Subscribe for free here.

 

For more delicious recipes and to learn how to be a better cook, check out my monthly online cooking classes. I have been teaching people for 15 years how to cook healthy food that their families love!  Join me!

  

Tamale Pie Recipe

This savory Tamale Pie Recipe mimics traditional tamales in casserole (or pie) form! Featuring a meaty filling with beans, corn, chiles, aromatics, and enchilada sauce topped with a cheesy, fluffy cornbread crust. This easy recipe is comfort food at its absolute finest– and perfect for busy weeknights!

 

Base

  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground meat of choice (chicken, turkey, or pork)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium yellow or red onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 poblano pepper (stemmed, seeded and chopped)
  • 1 jalapeño (stemmed, seeded and minced)
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • One 10-ounce can red enchilada sauce
  • 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • 1 cup cooked beans of choice and/or fresh or frozen corn kernels

Cornbread Topping

  • Heaping ¾ cup masa harina
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or a good GF flour blend (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg + 1 egg white
  • ½ cup whole milk or plain (unsweetened soy milk)
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar (divided or vegan cheese or omit)
  • ½ cup sliced pickled or regular jalapeños
  • Optional: Hot sauce and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (for serving)
  1. Prepare the chili: Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until just starting to brown but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add the onions, poblanos, jalapeños, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just softened and the meat is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans and/or corn kernels and remove from heat.
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the cornbread: In a medium bowl, whisk the masa harina with the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In another medium bowl, beat the eggs with the milk and chicken broth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk the batter until smooth. Fold in 1/4 cup of the cheese.
  4. Dollop the cornbread batter over the chili and gently spread into an even layer. It will seem like a very thin layer of cornbread, but it will rise in the oven. Scatter the pickled or regular jalapeños over the batter, then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Bake the tamale pie until bubbling and the cornbread is risen, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.

Expert Tips

  • Masa is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. It’s made from dried corn that has been nixtamalized, which is a process in which dried corn kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution to loosen the hulls and make the corn softer for grinding. Masa harina, on the other hand, is a flour that is made from dried masa dough. Masa harina is commonly used to make corn tortillas, too, but it’s also used to make tamales, tamal de cazuela, pupusas and arepas.
  • Make it vegan: swap ground vegan protein for meat like Beyond Meat or cooked lentils. Swap flax egg (2 Tablespoons flax meal + 4 Tablespoons warm water) for egg in the batter. Use vegan cheese or omit it. Serve with dairy-free sour cream or avocado.
  • For best results, I encourage you to use a cast-iron skillet so you only need one pan for this meal. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish and top with the cornbread batter, then bake.

 

Serving & Storage Tips

You can serve this delicious tamale pie with any of your favorite toppings like hot sauce, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, black olives, additional cheese or green chiles, and more!

 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or the microwave and serve with desired toppings.

 

To freeze, let the casserole cool completely, then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, reheat, and serve!

 

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Dinner Planner – Week of June 10th, 2019

My son’s last day of school is this Wednesday and I am looking forward to him having a bit of a break.  I am personally looking forward to having a break from making lunches.  Have I mentioned that before?  (I’m pretty sure I have LOL.)  One of my daughters has an internship in Pittsburgh for the summer, so I am going to visit her next weekend.  I promised her we’d do a little meal prep in her apartment before I left.  Both my girls really like home-cooked meals which means I have at least done one thing right!  They both cook for themselves often, but it’s always more enjoyable when your mom does it for you.  Nothing could make me happier!

I just finished filming June’s online cooking class which is a brunch menu, although truly the recipes can be eaten any time of day.  I taught the recipes all week and they are fabulous!  Plus, as always, lots of good info about nutrition, making the recipes your own, and more.  The goal of all my classes is to encourage you to cook more, with ease and confidence, and ultimately make you a better cook so that you can cook without recipes! A dinner planner is one strategy to help you cook with less stress, more often and more healthfully + you’ll save money when you only buy wheat you need.

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

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Dinner Planner – Week of June 3rd, 2019

Please note: this post contains links to ProLon. If you make a purchase from one of these links, I may receive a small commission.

Sorry for the delay in this week’s dinner planner.  Wordpress was having some glitches, but all is resolved!  I know many schools are out for summer already.  Wow!  My son still has another week and a half, but I told him I am done with making lunches.  Perhaps I am a less than ideal mother in the home stretch, but I am tapped out!  I will continue to nourish him with lovely, nutritious breakfasts and dinners, of course.

Starting Sunday, I am actually doing my second round of Prolon’s Fasting Mimicking Diet this year, my fifth time overall.  So no homemade dinners for me Sunday through Thursday this week.  I have mentioned on the blog and on Instagram many times that I have obsessively researched fasting and its myriad health benefits and I never feel as good as the tail end of the Fasting Mimicking Diet.  It is not easy, but it’s not impossible either, and it’s also not a crash diet nor a “cleanse.”  This modified fast is beneficial for healthy aging, metabolic health, and weight loss (disclaimer: in a clinical study, ProLon is shown over three cycles to help individuals lose an average of 5.7 lbs and 1.6 inches off their waist circumference), among other benefits.  If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a link to Prolon’s site.  They have given me a discount code for my followers if you’re interested in trying it out. Use code pamela25 for one 5-day kit or for a subscription if you want multiple kits.

Here’s your dinner planner for the week:

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Mushroom and Leek Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust Recipe and My Online Cooking Classes

Mushroom and Leek Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust | Pamela Salzman

Mushroom and Leek Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust | Pamela Salzman

I had a wonderful few days in NY.  It was a perfect balance of fun (spending time with my family) and work, which was also fun!  Thank you to The Feed Feed, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Keri Glassman and Nutritious Life, and Real Simple Magazine for the great live collaborations.  Hopefully you guys were able to catch some of the segments, but if not, my goal is to jump on Instagram Live from my kitchen today and/or tomorrow while I am cooking for Passover.Continue reading

Asparagus and Spinach Salad with Quinoa Video

 

A little side note:  when we shot this video, we used 1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water.  The recipe link above calls for 1 cup quinoa and 1 3/4 cups of water because that is how I make it at home and I rinse my quinoa in a fine mesh sieve.  Hope that makes sense!

Asparagus and Spinach Salad with Quinoa

Pamela
Servings 4 -6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • Kosher salt for salting water
  • 1 bunch medium asparagus spears about 1 pound, woody ends trimmed
  • 3 golden medium-large golden beets tops removed and reserved for another use; roasted, peeled and cubed, about 1 ½ cups
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • Mint Vinaigrette:
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ cup fresh mint leaves
  • 3 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon raw honey
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
  • freshly ground pepper to taste
  • ½ cup unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the quinoa with cold water in a fine mesh sieve. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 1 ¾ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Allow to sit off the heat, covered for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and submerge the asparagus for 2 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge the asparagus in the ice water bath until cooled. Remove from the water, pat dry and cut into 1-inch pieces.
  • Prepare the vinaigrette: in a blender or a food processor, combine the onions, garlic, mint, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Turn the motor on and add the olive oil in a slow steady stream.
  • Place the spinach leaves in a large salad bowl. Add the quinoa, beets and asparagus to the spinach. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning.

Notes

Feta and walnuts are both fantastic in this salad.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!