T'N'T Tuna Tamale Pie

Over my 69 years I have tried many diets. I lost a bit; regained a bit. At my heaviest, I reached 275 pounds, but most of my life I have weighed in around 225-250. Last spring I said "Enough!" I had a gastric bypass procedure. Five months later I weigh 191 and am still losing! Yea!!

Naturally my new stomach changes all my food interests. I REALLY need Cooking for One recipes, because even "one serving" will feed me for 2, maybe 3, meals. Do I ever get overwhelmed when I make my old recipe for tamale pie. In the old days, it would feed my family of four hearty eaters and a small army as well. Then I remembered TNT Tuna-Tamale Pie. Ah! I can have Tex-Mex comfort food again!

Tuna Tamale Pie may sound strange, but the tuna blends amazingly well with the chili spice. If you aren't that adventurous, you might substitute 2 ounces of cooked ground turkey or ground beef for the tuna.

The recipe comes from a 1982 set of Weight Watchers Recipe cards.  It says it makes one serving, but it makes a quart casserole full. Even before I had surgery, I didn't eat that much in one setting. Consider this good for two, or something for one that makes extra to freeze for another day. For me-- well, it may serve 8 (of me), just like the old recipe.

I have transcribed the recipe as written on the card. (My changes are in parentheses.) Be aware, changing the recipe changes the calorie count. I've included all the Weight Watchers counts at the bottom just as they appear on the card. I have no idea how those might translate to today's Point System.


T'N'T Tuna-Tamale Pie

1/2 chopped onion (1 Tbs. dried onion flakes)
1/4 cup dried green bell pepper (1 Tbs. dried bell pepper. I make my own.)
1 cup drained, whole canned tomatoes
1/2 cup. tomato juice
2 tsp. Chili powder (or Williams Chili Seasoning)
1/2 tsp. each ground cumin and paprika (leave this out if you use the Chili Seasoning instead of Chili powder)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 ounces drained canned pinto beans (Ranch Style beans are also good)
2 ounces, drained canned tuna, flaked
1 ounce uncooked yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. double-acting baking powder
Dash salt

In and 8-9 inch nonstick skillet, cook onion and green pepper until soft, about five minutes. (If using dried onion and dried green pepper, soak them in a bit of hot water for about 5 minutes to reconstitute, and then drain them and add to the skillet. You can skip the cooking step.)  Add tomatoes, juice, and spices. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Stir in beans and tuna. Pour mixture into a small (1 quart) casserole. (I use several 4-8 ounce baking dishes sprayed with no-stick spray. I freeze the extra, covering them with aluminum foil.)

In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients. Drop cornmeal mixture by teaspoonsful onto the bean-tuna mixture. (I might sprinkle a pinch of grated cheese on top for a bit more protein.) Bake at 375 degrees F. until bubbly and topping is browned, about 30 minutes.

Each serving is equivalent to: 1/2 c. Limited Vegetables, 2 1/2 servings Vegetables, 1/2 serving Bonus (1/2 c. tomato juice.) 3 ounces Legumes, 2 ounces Fish, 1 serving Bread Substitute. 3 servings Extras (1 Tbs. flour, 2 servings Fat.)

Per serving: 529 calories, 29 gm. protein, 17 gm. fat, 70 gm. carbohydrates, 1406 mg sodium, 37 mg cholesterol

Roseanna's Baked Talapia

My friend Roseanna is also perfecting her cooking for one. While visiting today, she taught me to make a great baked talapia. The beauty of this cooking method is it can done in an oven or over a grill and the fish may be seasoned with  whatever you have on hand.  We do love our flexible recipes!

She says the fish needs a little bit of fat and a touch of salt and pepper. The rest is up to you.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Tonight's recipe uses the following ingredients. Adjust spices to your own taste. Roseanna often uses paprika instead of lemon pepper.

1 frozen talapia fillet per person. (2 if you are a big eater.)

1/2 tsp. butter

salt and pepper to taste

We added juice from 1/8 of a lemon

Sprinkle of lemon pepper 

Generous pinch of dried parsley

Place each talapia fillet in the center of a square of aluminum foil. Drop the butter on top of the fillet. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice over that. Sprinkle again with lemon pepper. Finish by sprinkling with the parsley.

Fold the aluminum foil to make a packet, giving it a generous amount of head-space before closing the top with a butcher's fold. Crimp ends and roll over once. 

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 425 degree oven. The longer time is needed for larger fillets. Ours were 3/4 cooked at 15 minutes.  Open packet.  Return to oven for 8-10 minutes to finishing baking and to allow fish to slightly brown. Fish is done when it flakes freely.

Close foil  to keep the fish warm and let it rest for at least 5 minutes while you are getting the rest of the meal together. We served ours with a green salad. It would also be good with a baked potato or seasoned rice, and the vegetable of your choice.

If you are cooking this on a grill, wait until you have a good bed of coals such as you would use for a baked potato. Place fish on the grate, not in the coals. Check a bit more frequently after the first 15 minutes than when baking in an oven. It will probably take longer, as well, because outdoor temperatures won't be as high as the controlled oven. The key is that fish is done when it flakes. It will be baking in the steam created by the packet.