Tamale Pie

I was in the mood for Mexican so I thought I'd make a paleo version of this easy dish. I started out seasoning the meat as if I were making taco salad. Then I just jazzed it up with some vegetables and topped it with an almond flour crust. It turned out great. The original recipe calls for more vinegar, which was a little overpowering for my taste. I scaled it down to 1 Tbsp for this recipe, but you could actually leave it out altogether and be just fine. Enjoy!

Inspired by www.rivermarketcrossfit.com.


Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, cored and chopped (I used red, but any color will do)
1 2.25-oz can black olives
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 7-oz can green chiles
1 Tbsp coconut or apple cider vinegar (optional)
Spice Blend
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 cup warm water
Crust
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup water
1 egg


Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain fat, if necessary. (I find that grass-fed ground beef requires no draining.)
3. Combine spices in a small bowl. Add water and whisk together.
4. Add spice liquid to cooked ground beef. Stir to combine and simmer over medium low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.
5. While taco meat cooks, saute onion and peppers in coconut oil in a medium skillet until onion becomes translucent, 5-10 minutes.
6. Add onion mixture, olives, tomatoes with their juices, chilies with their juices, and vinegar to the seasoned beef. Stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
7. While meat simmers, combine egg, water, and almond flour in a small bowl. The mixture should be thick, like cornmeal. 
8. Transfer meat mixture to a deep-dish baker or a medium (8x8 or 9x9) baking dish. Scoop almond dough over the top. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
   NOTE: Do not overfill the baking dish. If your dish is pretty full, set it on top of a baking sheet in the oven to catch any drips. Believe me, you will have a mess on your hands otherwise!