Corn Tamale Casserole

I bought a new cookbook (surprise, surprise!); Fast Cooking in a Slow Cooker Every Day of the Year by JoAnn Rachor. Since I lent out my favorite slow cooking book, I bought a new one to help me get through my newest slow cooking kick. I usually am really good at buying cookbooks. I have not, up til now, bought a dud. I am nervous about this one, though. I tried the Corn Tamale Casserole yesterday. It was not good.
Don't get me wrong, it didn't taste bad, it just didn't taste like, well, anything. This recipe needs a serious overhaul before I'd try it again. The cornmeal sort of sucks up everything and while the result wasn't dry, it also just didn't have enough spice in it. Maybe replace some of the tomato sauce with salsa? Or some hot sauce? Use more spice? Less cornmeal?
One nice thing about the book is that charts are provided to make it easy to make really small batches (about 3 cups) or really big ones (6.5 cups). I made the small one. I'm glad I did. I ate it for dinner last night, and I'm going to finish it for lunch, but only because I don't want to waste food.
Another thing that makes me nervous is that the author includes using rice in some recipes. Granted she suggests the rice be cooked when you put it in to start, but most authors suggest putting the cooked rice in at the end to prevent rice gumminess. So I'm not sure.
But, if this book turns out to be not so hot, I can always lean on one of my 33 (!) other cookbooks.

Stats:
Vegan
Makes: about 3 cups
Find it: On page 41 of Fast Cooking in a Slow Cooker Every Day of the Year
Taste: What taste?