tunisian skewers with harissa sauce

Tester

Now that Tami Noyes of American Vegan Kitchen has finally come clean and announced her new cookbook, I can finally reveal that I have been a recipe tester for her for the past half year or so.

Her concept is a grilling cookbook and I have had the pleasure to be a part of making sure that the recipes that you all will indulge in soon will be as good as she intends them to be.

While I cannot divulge ingredients or recipes, I can let you in on the name of the dish and let you know how lucky you will be to own this book.

First off, I have to say that there is not a vegan/vegetarian grilling cookbook on the market of this caliber. I own the few odd vegetarian books that try their hand at grilling, but not like this. This IS the definitive grilling cookbook for vegans and vegetarians.

I am not going to blog about the other 50 recipes I've tested so far; I'll just jump in on the recipes I make as I go. I made this dish, Tunisian Skewers with Harissa Sauce and Lemon-Kissed Couscous, the other day and I could hardly keep myself from licking the plate. Not only are the recipes I've tried great, they are for the grill AND they are easy and quick.

This dish was no exception.

tamale pie

Continental Night

Tamales are a beautiful thing!

But, they are not quick and easy to make!

You need to make the batter and spread it onto some kind of cooking pouch: corn husks, banana leaves or even just parchment paper. Then each one has to have a filling, each needs to be wrapped and cooked. This takes time. And while the whole endeavour is worth all the work - especially for a special occasion - for everyday eating a Tamale Pie makes more practical sense.

The dough is masa harina with seasoning and non-dairy milk. It is then spread into a pie plate and baked until it is a little dry. Do not over bake it, since it won't have that wonderful tender texture - it'll be dry and crispy. Add some filling - in this case a black bean and tomato mixture - and a bit of Daiya or other vegan cheese, bake for a few more minutes and enjoy with guacamole, vegan sour cream or salsa.

Cost Breakdown

masa harina, spices: $1.50

milk, Daiya: $4

black beans, tomatoes: $3

onion, garlic, pepper: $1

Total to make 8 servings (2 pie plates):

$9.50

Tamale Pie Recipe