Something a Little Different

I don't normally post food stuff on here.  But this recipe is the first one I've tried altering to be gluten free and it worked!  Long story short I have digestive problems and supposedly eating gluten free is helpful so away I go.  The recipe is below with my substitution in parentheses.  It originated from a Pampered Chef cookbook I used to have.

Beef Tamale Bake

1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used brown rice flour)
1/2 baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup hot water
2 egg whites
3 tbs butter (I used oil so the "crust" came out a little heavy)
1/2 lb ground meat (I left this out because I didn't have any)
1 jar salsa - approx 16 oz
1 can beans, rinsed and drained - approx 15.5 oz (I left these out)
1 garlic clove, pressed (I just spooned in some pre-minced garlic, probably a bit more than a clove's worth but I like garlic)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese (I left this out because I can't eat cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Spray your baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray.  (I used a 13x9 and the crust seemed thinnish, but I was also substituting the flour and butter so that might contribute to it not rising as much.)

2. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk in water, egg whites, and butter.  Stir until smooth.  Pour batter into the baking dish.

3. Cook ground meat until no longer pink and drain.  Add salsa, beans, garlic, chili powder, and cumin to the cooked meat.  Mix well and bring to a boil over medium heat.  (Since I didn't use meat or beans I just mixed the salsa, garlic, and spices in a bowl and skipped to the next step.)

4. Spoon the meat mixture over the batter to within a 1/2 inch of the edge.  Bake 20-23 minutes, or until crust is set.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.  Let stand 5 minutes.  (I baked mine for approx. 30 minutes, probably because of the oil substitution making the batter a bit more moist.  Obviously skipped cheese step.)

5. Cut into pieces and serve.

Yields approx. 8 servings