Polenta Pie with Beans & Rice

This post comes to you from one of our favorite Wyomingites! Abby is a serious gardener, a serious economist, a serious lover of historical fiction and romance novels, and a recent convert to mostly vegan eating (with some game meat thrown in for good measure--hey, we said she's from Wyoming). She was also the first person to ever successfully make a gluten-free pie for K, way back in 2007. < 3

Polenta Pie - vegan, gluten-free, serves 4

This recipe takes a little bit more doing than some...but it is worth it!  This is a really yummy and satisfying meal.  Essentially, you will be making a pie using polenta for the crust, a bean and rice mixture for the filling, and an avocado topping!

To start: Polenta crust

Bring 2 c. water to a boil and whisk in 3/4 c. polenta and 1/4 t. salt.  Stir constantly, for 10+ minutes, or until the polenta starts to goop together and pull away from the side of the pan.  Spoon the cooked polenta into a pie pan and spread it evenly over the bottom and sides of the pan.  Set aside.

Next: Bean and rice filling

Ingredients:

1 c. vegetable broth (K says use gluten-free broth if that is a concern, Pacific is a good brand)

1 c. water

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 small diced onion

1 c. short-grain brown rice

1 T. chile powder

1 can (15.5 oz.) or 2 cups drained/cooked black beans

1/2 c. salsa of your choice

Combine the broth, water, tomatoes, onion, rice, and chile powder in a saucepan and cook until the rice is done (all liquid is gone and the rice is tender).  This takes about 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350* F.

Once the rice is cooked, stir in the black beans.  Dump the rice and beans mixture into the polenta crust.  Spread the salsa over the entire combination.  Bake the pie for 30 minutes.

Last step: Avocado topping

Once the pie is done baking, set it aside to cool and whip up the avocado topping in the meantime.  All this involves is mashing an avocado in a small bowl with 4 t. lemon juice and 1/2 t. garlic powder.  Of course, if you are like me and an avocado LOVER, you'll want to double or triple this!  

Dish out the pie, top with a dollop of avocado goo, and enjoy!

Considerations for food allergies and ethics: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, casein free if you use the right veggie broth.