We could all use a dose of Good Fortune in the New Year! Symbolized by a nice slice of this delicious cornbread!

Who’s with me?!!

While we’re at it, we’re going to load up on Black Eyed Peas (symbolizing coins or wealth), Collard Greens (representing money) and Pork (as a sign of moving forward). Call it superstition or simply a delicious dinner!

Good Fortune & Good Intentions

Heading into the new year, I’ve been pondering my good intentions for 2022. Despite what cliche resolutions come to mind, for me it all comes down to making healthy choices. A healthy lifestyle, a strong healthy body, and mental peace and clarity are what I’m aiming for.

So to begin, I will continue to incorporate fresh ingredients into my cooking. And you know there will be plenty of fresh herb flavor-love woven throughout.

I will spend more time in the woods, my ultimate happy place. Hiking, strolling, deep breathing and looking up. All of which lead to a clear and peaceful mind.

Are you a resolutions kind of person? I certainly view the New Year as an opportunity to reset. Perhaps to a fault, I put off change as the the new year approaches. So I’ll add one more good intention in 2022 – I will be more timely when my path needs adjusting. And forgive myself when I veer off course.

Recipe Inspiration

My Sage Brown Butter Buttermilk Cornbread recipe is bursting with buttery herb flavors. It’s pretty darn good if I might say so. It’s that recipe that has inspired this Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos.

Golden Cheddar Cornbread

Herbs and aromatics will elevate your cornbread. In this case, I use fire roasted poblano peppers to infuse the brown butter. While including some nice sharp cheddar cheese adds to the cornbread texture and the flavor.

This easy cornbread recipe is the perfect weekend comfort food yet also quick enough to prepare with a weeknight meal.

Wishing you health, happiness and good fortune in the year ahead. And may your plates be graced with delicious good eats!

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos

Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos is a standout recipe with savory wonderful texture and buttery crisp edges!

Course Bread

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers fire roast, sweat, remove skins and seeds, dice
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
• 1 stick butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Fire roast poblanos until well charred on all sides. Place into a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Run under cold water to remove charred skins. Remove stem and seeds, then fine dice. Reserve.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients flour through salt. In a large bowl, beat buttermilk with eggs. Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for topping.
• In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add diced poblano pepper, reserving 2 Tablespoons for topping. Saute peppers until tender and butter is turning golden brown. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of melted butter/pepper mixture into buttermilk/egg mixture and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk in dry ingredients. Pour batter into cast iron skillet. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and diced poblano pepper.
• Place skillet into preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

The post Good Fortune Golden Cheddar Cornbread with Fire Roasted Poblanos appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ve been wanting to recreate my favorite Mexican Tamale Pie since about the moment I began sharing recipes on Lemony Thyme.  Which also happens to be when I realized that the most important part of cooking isn’t the recipe, it’s the ingredients.

Having said that, while we primarily cook with fresh ingredients, there are certain pantry staples I make no apologies for, those being canned tomatoes and canned beans.  We keep canned on hand for when we’re in a hurry or when we may have bitten off more than our culinary skills can chew.  As in the night I signed up to make Mexican Tamale Pie, Apache Bread Dip, and Jicama Slaw for our Taste of Arizona party at the office the following day.

I was pleasantly surprised how easily this recipe came together.  For the filling, heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large stock pot, sauté onion for 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and zucchini and sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes.  The veggies should still be crisp tender.  Add remaining filling ingredients, stir to combine.  The juice from the diced tomatoes should be enough simmering liquid, if not add a little water.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer veggie mixture to a casserole dish.

Recipe Note:  Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce bring a wonderful smoky flavor, but they are pretty spicy.  I used the entire can in this recipe, giving it quite a kick, in a good way. 

However, if you prefer a milder Tamale Pie, I would begin with one pepper then add additional to taste.  You can freeze any unused peppers for future use.

Meanwhile, prepare the polenta topping.  In a 3 quart saucepan bring water and salt to boil. Slowly whisk in cornmeal and cook over low heat, stirring often until the cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter to finish.  Spoon polenta over veggie mixture, then use a rubber spatula to smooth almost to the edges.

Mexican Tamale Pie is baked for about 30 minutes until the filling is hot and bubbly.  I finished it under the broiler for just a few minutes to give the topping a golden finish.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

This vegetarian, gluten free dish is a wonderful meatless meal.  However, I’m willing to bet no one will miss the meat once they get a bite of all that flavor wow.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I wanted to recreate my favorite Mexican Tamale Pie.  Well here she is.  Amy’s Organic Tamale Pie was first introduced to me at a Weight Watchers Meeting because it’s naturally low fat and calorically friendly.  I searched my local grocer’s freezer case with no luck, but that didn’t stop me.  A few markets later I found this quick and easy frozen meal, which became a lunch time staple.

I have to say I’m quite pleased with my recipe adaptation.  This dish could easily be a meal for 8-10 people.  I served it as part of a Taste of Arizona party at the office.  Check out our spread below.

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Mexican Tamale Pie

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 -10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the pie filling…

• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 small zucchini diced
• 1 4.5- ounce can diced mild chiles
• 1 7- ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce use as little as one pepper for mild or entire can for hot
• 1 14.5- ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes with juice
• 1 16- ounce can pinto beans rinsed and drained
• 1 16- ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro rough chopped
• salt to taste

For the polenta topping…

• 3 cups water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup yellow grits
• 1 Tbl. butter

Instructions

For the filling…

• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large stock pot, sauté onion for 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and zucchini and sauté for an additional 4-5 minutes. They should still be crisp tender.
• Add remaining filling ingredients, stir to combine. The juice from the diced tomatoes should be enough simmering liquid, if not add a little water. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer veggie mixture to a casserole dish.

For the polenta topping…

• In a 3 quart saucepan bring water and salt to boil. Slowly whisk in grits and cook over low heat, stirring often until the cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in butter to finish. Spoon polenta over veggie mixture, then use a rubber spatula to spread almost to the edges.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place casserole on a shallow baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Can finish under broiler for a golden top. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Yesterday my work family and I threw a surprise Taste of Arizona party for a dear co-worker who is relocating to Arizona next week.  We sure are going to miss you Major JP.  I’ve said before and will say again, I work with some amazing cooks and darn good eaters!!  I’m compiling all of these tasty recipes and hope to share each of them with you.

The post Mexican Tamale Pie appeared first on Lemony Thyme.