No I am not saying I should have a prize because my dinner was so good (but it was). No I think I should get a prize because I COOKED ON A SATURDAY NIGHT! If you know me for a long time weekends have always been my days "off" from cooking. Since I have been couponing though and seeing how much money we can save by eating at home I am trying to break that habit. So last Saturday night I rolled up my sleeves and made Turkey and Pinto Bean Corn Bread Pie.

I wish I could tell you how long this recipe has been filed in my "to make" box but I cut the date off when I tore it out of the paper. It does say it is from a book called "Almost Meatless" by Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond. It turned out surprisingly well after I made a mistake and used the wrong yeast. This is another great recipe for using up leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Turkey and Pinto Bean Corn Bread Pie

2 Teaspoons vegetable oil
8 Ounces turkey (I used frozen cooked turkey which sped this recipe up but the real recipe calls for ground turkey)
2 Cloves garlic, chopped
1 Cup cooked pinto beans
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 Teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 Cup water

Corn Bread Crust
3/4 Cup cornmeal
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned. I used fresh)
1 Tablespoon seeded and diced jalapeno chile
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons honey
3/4 Cup warm low-fat milk (about 120 degrees)
2 Packets active dry year (NOT INSTANT LIKE I USED-Whoops!)
1 Cup store bought salsa
1/2 Cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Sour cream for garnish

Brush a 9-inch pie dish lightly with oil or butter.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the turkey, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes (I skipped this step since I was using cooked turkey). Add the garlic, beans, chili powder, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix ingredients together and saute briefly until the garlic and spices are fragrant. Add the water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until most of the liquid is gone, scrapping the bottom of the pan occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

To Make Crust: In a bowl, mix together the cormeal, flour, salt, corn kernals, jalapeno, egg, oil, honey, milk and yeast. Pour the batter into the pie dish. Top with the meat and bean mixture, slasa and cheese.

Set the dish atop a rimmed baking sheet in a COLD oven. Set the ovent o 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the corn bread crust is golden brown. Remove fromt eh oven and let the pie sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving with dallops of sour cream.