Pueblo Pie

Photo: flickr user Reinante El Pintor de Fuego

Ingredients

cup water

1 lrg onion chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic about 4 large cloves

28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)

cup water

1 can garbanzo beans (15 oz size)

cup roasted red peppers (about 2 peppers)

3 tablespoons tahini

3 tablespoons lemon juice

12 corn tortillas torn in 1/2

2 cans vegetarian chili beans (15 oz size)

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup corn fresh or frozen to 2 cups

Preparation

Heat 1/2 cup water in a large pot or skillet and cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes chili powder, cumin, TVP, and 2/3 cup of water. Simmer over medium heat 5 minutes.

Process the garbanzo beans, roasted peppers, tahini, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender until very smooth.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with a layer of tortillas, then spread with a third of the garbanzo bean mixture, using your fingers to hold the tortillas in place. Sprinkle with a third of the chili beans, green onions, and corn. Spread about 1 cup of tomato sauce over the top. Repeat the layers twice, ending with the tomato sauce.

When I make it again, I might reduce the tahini by 1 tbsp, and I will probably reserve some of the cheeze for another use. (There was a generous amount, and I don't think the pie needed it all.) To add some heat, I'll sub 1 can of the Ro-Tel tomatoes. The texture of this dish is very soft; if you like more "chew", use more corn or add some chopped bell peppers to the corn layer.

If you are not a dried TVP fan, you could use ground beef or the Gimme Lean hamburger. You could also add lowfat cheese, if you like.

You can prepare the mixtures for the layers in advance. However, to prevent the tortillas from completely disintegrating, I would assemble the pie just prior to baking. I did bake it longer than the 20 minutes because my mixtures had been refrigerated.

This makes a lot; because it is so rich and filling, I believe it really would serve 10. The leftovers were even better, and we froze half the pie.

NOTES : Pueblo Pie is a bit like a Mexican lasagne, with layers of tortillas, garbanzo cheeze, chili beans, corn, and a spicy tomato sauce. Serve it with a green salad for a very satisfying meal.

This pie was extremely rich tasting (no one would believe this is lowfat)! The richness is probably largely due to the garbanzo, tahini, and roasted red pepper filling. This mix tasted similar to the pimiento cheese spreads I used to eat in the South. Actually, it's just a variation of hummus, and would also be excellent as a sandwich spread or dip. I think the roasted red pepper is the secret. And it's a lovely color.

For once, I made the recipe exactly as written, except my "cheeze" was a little dry, so I added a bit of the canned bean liquid. I also simmered the TVP mixture for about 15-20 minutes, because I find that more time greatly improves the taste of TVP.