Recipe: Southwest Pot Pie

When you cook, do you follow recipes? I do. sort of. kind of. I mean, I like to look at them and then figure out what I actually remembered to buy last time I was at the grocery store, and go from there.

One of my new favorite cookbooks, thanks to my friend, Alicia, is the Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian cookbook.  I'll try to do a review later, but suffice it to say that this one gained immediate entry to the coveted shelf over my sink where only two other cookbooks and a recipe box reside plus a whole lotta junk. The rest of my cookbooks live on the bottom shelf of one of our many book cases in the bed room where they try to hide from the baby who loves to "look" at any book she can get her hands on aka open the book and sit on it.

One of the recipes we have tried multiple times is the Southwest Pot Pie, and I have a little adaption you all are going to thank me for (right?). This is a delicious one-pot meal that makes wonderful leftovers; think Chili and Corn Bread meets Chicken and Dumplings. It takes about an hour to make, but there is usually plenty of time to wash your dishes while you wait for sweet potatoes or corn bread dumplings to cook.

Please remember what I said at the beginning: I kinda, sorta follow recipes, so remember there are many ways to change and adapt this as you please. I have a few ideas, but I'm restraining myself to not give you a hundred. It makes 4-6 servings; make a side salad if you need to those extra two servings.

I have made it with and with out meat, so you can view the meat as an optional ingredient. Also, feel free to sub the can of southwest diced tomatoes for another type (like Fire Roasted or even a jar of salsa--whatever you have on hand).  The sweet potatoes can be subbed with 1 butternut squash, and it is just as tasty. This can be one of your go-to meals when you just need a recipe to use with your pantry goods.

Southwest Pot Pie with corn bread dumplings
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 can Southwest style diced tomatoes
1/2 c. water
2 small or medium sweet potatoes, cubed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can, or 1 cup soaked & cooked, beans of choice
1 cup frozen corn kernels

For the corn bread dumplings:
1 1/3 c. corn meal
3/4 c. all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons honey
2-3 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil, melted
1-2 large eggs 
1/2 c. milk

Directions
1. In a large skillet or dutch over, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until there is little to no pink left inside.
2. Meanwhile, rinse, peel and cube sweet potatoes (should be bite-sized pieces). Add sweet potatoes, diced tomatoes, water, cinnamon, and cumin to cooked meat and onion. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15-25 minutes, until sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.
3. While the sweet potatoes cook, mix all ingredients for the corn bread topping. Set aside until potatoes are ready.
4. Stir in beans and frozen corn. Bring mixture back to a simmer.

5. Drop corn bread topping by the spoonful over sweet potatoes and meat mixture. Cover and cook 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the corn bread dumplings comes out clean.

6. Serve with grated cheese, a small spoonful of reserved onions, or sour cream.