Healthy Tamales

HEALTHY TAMALES
WITH CHIPOTLE - VEGETABLE FILLING OR
REFRIED BEAN AND CHEESE FILLING

Time :  1 hour 25 minutes for assembling and steaming
Serves: 6 to 8

These are just two examples of tamale fillings.  We have tried a chicken breast filling with homemade or canned green tomatillo sauce (We used Herdez brand.)  Delicioso!!!

Let me know what your favorites are!!!

Ingredients and Supplies

2- six ounce packages of corn husks

Utensil used for spreading-  Spreader/ Spoon/ Paint spatula  that is used for cooking purposes
Large steamer basket

Tamale Masa (Dough):

4 cups of Masa Harina corn flour (for tamales)

4 cups vegetable broth or equivalent prepared vegetable bouillon, warmed

2 teaspoons baking powder

CHIPOTLE-VEGETABLE FILLING

2   tablespoons olive oil

1   large onion, diced small

1   clove garlic, minced

1   red bell pepper seeded and diced

1   small carrot, peeled and diced

1   (15 ounce) can of pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed

1    cup frozen corn kernels

1/4  cup vegetable broth

2    chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, plus 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce

      (use 7 ounce can chipotles in adobo sauce for this)

3    tablespoons tomato paste

1    teaspoon ground cumin

1/2  teaspoon salt, or to taste

-OR-

BEAN AND CHEESE FILLING:
5    Cups beans refried in olive oil
       Salt, chile, and garlic to taste
1     Long Mozzarella cheese per tamale

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Corn husks are placed in a large pot.  Allow to soak in warm water and cover husks completely to allow them to become pliable.  They should stay in water until ready to add masa.  

2.  Prepare the Masa : in a large bowl, combine the masa harina, broth, salt, baking powder, and oil.

Beat with an electric mix, until a moist, fluffy dough forms.  The bowl must be covered with damp towel and set aside.

3.  Prepare the chipotle filling: 
In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute the onions and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened.  Add the pepper and carrot and saute for 3 minutes. The beans, corn, broth, and chipotles and sauce, tomato paste, and cumin are added.  Saute and simmer until until most of the liquid evaporates (5 to 7 minutes).  Salt to taste and allow to cool before

assembling tamales.

TO ASSEMBLE:
1.  Take a husk and lay it flat;  spread about 2 tablespoons of dough off center, leaving about 3 to 4 inch
margin from the top of the husk.  The Masa was spread with the back of a tablespoon when I was a child.  Then, about two years ago, the plastic spreader was sold at local grocery stores.  I also googled tamales and found some folks had not found the plastic spreader with handle and improvised with a spackle spreader from a local paint shop and used it for cooking.  My favorite?  The plastic spreader invented by a fellow Texan Tamalera gets most of masa spread in one "swoop".  It's important when you are making ten dozen tamales!

Make a "row " in the center of the  layer of  masa from top to bottom with a heaping tablespoon of filling, and carefully start rolling the husk from left to right to prevent the "filling from a spilling". 


We do not "tie" the ends.  If you leave enough space at the top of the husk, you can fold over and the filling will not spill out.

Pack the tamales into a large steamer basket upside down with the open husk bottom pointing upwards.
Make sure the husk is securely folded.  Lean them towards the middle. We add foil over the "standing" tamales so that the will stay in place and have a better steaming effect.  Cover the pot.  Steam for 35 to 40 minutes.   The cooked tamale will feel firm and come off the husk without sticking.
Serve with salsa.  


Tamales may be frozen either cooked or uncooked in foil and freezer bags.


Links:
http://www.tamalespreader.com/

Sources:
Tamales, Comadres, and the Meaning of Civilization 
by Ellen Riojas Clark, Ph.D. and Carmen Tafolla, Ph.d

Veganomicon   by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

  

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES!!!

MY EIGHT YEAR OLD COMPUTER DIED OF TOO MUCH INFORMATION!  IT SURVIVED THE
MANY CHRISTMAS, THANKSGIVING,AND GRADUATION PARTY PLANNING.  THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NIGHTINGALE HOUSE AND THE WONDERFUL WEDDING FOR SARA AND ROSS. 



MURPHY'S LAW:  
COMPUTER DIES DURING CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS! 
GOT NEW I-MAC AND HAD NO IDEA HOW TO SURF BACK AND FORTH.   COULDN'T FIND MY PICTURES OR DOCUMENTS WERE THEY  IN WINDOWS OR MAC ??  I'M LOST!!!!


DROPPED CAMERA ON LENS !!!  DEAD CAMERA IN THE MIDDLE OF OPENING GIFTS ON CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!   NEED A NEW ONE!  DECIDED TO WAIT UNTIL TUESDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS TO BRAVE BEST BUY CROWDS.


PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT POSTING TAMALES RECIPES!!!

I RECEIVED MY COPY OF TAMALES, COMADRES, AND THE MEANING OF CIVILIZATION.     IT IS DELIGHTFUL!!!!  FILLED WITH HISTORY, ANECDOTES, RECIPES,
EVEN ECONOMICS LESSONS.
                     
                                        TA-MAL ECONOMICS
"When I was little I could tell if things for my family taban mal:  a fat-jowled pig's head on the
table ready for boiling meant we weren't having tamales de fifoles for Crismas."


excerpt from Tamales Comadres, and the Meaning of Civilization- Juan Rodriguez




FOUND BOOK AT LAS TRES REBECCAS  STORE IN SAN ANTONIO.  I'LL SHARE THEIR RECIPE FOR HEALTHY TAMALES AND ANSWER THE MIND BOGGLING QUESTIONS:

1. TO TIE OR NOT TO TIE, THAT IS THE QUESTION...
2. SPOON, SPREADER, OR SPATULA...
3. LARD OR OIL...

                               

THE BOOKIES' CHRISTMAS DINNER

THERE IS A WONDERFUL GROUP OF LADIES THAT "ADOPTED" ME.  THEY ARE THE
READ BETWEEN THE LINES GROUP THAT CELEBRATED THEIR EIGHTH YEAR OF SHARING RECIPES, BOOK REVIEWS, HIGHS AND LOWS OF THEIR LIVES.  I AM HONORED TO BE A PART OF THIS ECLECTIC GROUP OF INTELLIGENT AND NURTURING CIRCLE OF FRIENDS!

2011 BOOKS TO BE REVIEWED:

WOO HOOO!!  PAM AND I ARE REVIEWING ROOM NEXT MONTH.
NEW FAVORITE BOOK!!


I ALSO SUGGESTED THE NEW STEPHEN KING READ- FULL DARK, NO STARS.
THE GENERAL CONSENSUS WAS THAT THEY WERE ALL TOO SCARED!  IF YOU LIKE KING'S ORIGINAL WRITING STYLE IN THE EIGHTIES, YOU'LL LOVE IT! 

THERE ARE TWO CHARACTERS IN ALL OF US: GOOD AND EVIL. SOMETIMES  "GOOD" PEOPLE END UP MAKING THE WRONG DECISIONS.... THE THEME OF A COLLECTION OF UNRELATED STORIES. 

AUDIBLEBOOK.COM  IS THE ANSWER TO A TRAVELING MOM THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO "SIT DOWN"  AND READ.   STEPHEN KING DISCUSSES WHERE HIS IDEAS WERE "BORN".  INTERESTING HOW HIS BRAIN WORKS!!

Ahhhh Nostalgia... The Tamale Ritual

 

 

Ahhh Nostalgia ! The Holidays start my mind’s eye to wander to decades past.

Come with me!

 It’s the mid sixties, in my Mama Prieta (grandmother)
and Papa Lupe’s (grandfather’s) farm. 

The early morning Sounds I remember are turkeys gobbling, chickens  clucking, roosters crowing, and dogs barking. But, I was snuggled under three or four warm blankets that had been made by a quilting group.

The Visions are of a small decorated tree in the living room; no theme for her!  String up the multicolored lights!  Watching her black and white television but not for long, there was no watching cartoons on a Saturday morning! Do you remember the lamps that rotated around?   Well,
they had an aquarium scene where the fish would swim endlessly.

Sounds, visions, smells in the kitchen area are starting
to come alive.  The hojas were soaked in an aluminum tub (used only for making tamales)
had a distinct smell.  My grandmother would soak the corn in lime to remove the outer seed coat – pericarp.  It was called niztamal.

Then, it was ground up to make the masa- corn dough.  Chile rojos were boiled, and magically
became the ingredient in the meat filling and the masa.  I wasn't very observant, because I
don’t remember the process!  Did we have blenders back then?  I’ve got to ask Mom or Tia Nina.

Slaughtering the pig is a topic that needs to be covered on another day.  Mom and Dad kept this
tradition going well into the eighties.  The pork meat was cut up and ground in Tio Johnny’s meat grinder.  He was the butcher in the family.  The rich spices, the chiles, the meat  cooking, the corn masa…. MMMMMMM!

The laughing, the chatter, the spoons clacking against the wooden drawer as tools for the task before us were being prepared. Life was good.  Life was simple.

The “Rookies” or younger set were in charge of filling the tamales.  We were not allowed to spread
the masa on the hojas; you would think that we had to attend a Culinary Institute before being allowed to spread the corn dough on the smooth side of a corn husk!!!  We did not “tie the tamales”.  We were taught early on to fold and have open tip point upwards. You don’t want the filling drip out during cooking process!

Tamales were cooked in a large  paela- black cauldron over fire outdoors.  Couldn’t find correct spelling for this term!  They were smoked and wonderful!!

I’m going to look for pictures of Mama Prieta checking the cooking process.

Now this was life in the Sixties through Eighties Tamale Process.

Now the “NEW AND IMPROVED Shortcut Method "is coming in the next few days!!!

 

I confess that I have never spearheaded this tradition;  I have only been a team member!

This year is the year I master this!!!

Fun Facts:

Corn grows from kernels. A kernel has
four parts. The pericarp (seed coat) is the outer covering for
protection. The endosperm is the largest section and stores food for the
seed. The germ (embryo) is the only living part of the kernel. The tip
cap attaches the kernel to the cob.

Source:  Corn in the Classroom

 

 

 

 

MAY ARTS RIBBON CHALLENGE

PLAID RIBBON CHALLENGE

CHRISTMAS HANGING BASKETS

SUPPLIES

1.	MAY ARTS RIBBONS COLOR SCHEME: PINK, LIME GREEN, AND BLACK  WITH GOLD ACCENTS COLORFUL CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
	BLACK  AND CREAM STRIPE	365-2-10   2”	FOR  TOP BAND
	BLACK SOLID  WIRED	WZ10   4”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	HOT PINK  SOLID WIRED	WZ22    4”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	LIME GREEN SOLID WIRED	WZ46    4”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	BLACK SOLID WIRED	364-15-10  1.5”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	HOT PINK SOLID WIRED	364-15-20  1.5”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	AQUA SOLID WIRED	364-15-94  1.5”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	PINK PLAID	BN22   1.5	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	YELLOW PLAID	BN 12  1.5”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
	APPLE GREEN PLAID	BN 66  1.5”	FOR  BASKET WEAVE
2.	WROUGHT IRON FLAT BACK BASKET FROM HOBBY LOBBY
3.	GOLD SPRAY PAINT
4.	GLUE GUN
5.	GOLD WIRE
6.	GOLD TINSEL WIRE
7.	EMBELLISHMENT- (I HAD BLACK CRYSTALS. CAN USE BUTTONS, JINGLE BELLS, ETC.)
8.	BLACK FLOCKED PAPER FOR BACKING (MEASURED THE  FLAT TRIANGULAR BACKING OF INSIDE BASKET)		7” WIDE  (3”) 14” LENGTH
9.	MACKENZIE CHILDS ENAMEL SAUCER
10.	PLATE HANGER
11.	POINSETTIA
12.	SILVER EUCALYPTUS BRANCH

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	SPRAY  PAINTED BASKET IN GOLD.
2.	CUT  FOUR  WIDE  (3”) RIBBONS 24 INCHES.
3.	CUT FOUR NARROW (1.5”) RIBBONS 24 INCHES.
4.	CUT TWO WIDE  (3”) RIBBONS 12 INCHES.
5.	RIBBONS WERE WOVEN IN AND OUT OF BASKET SECTIONS STARTED IN THE MIDDLE “COLUMN”  AND WORKED OUTWARDS.  USED THIN GOLD WIRE TO TIE THE TOP AND BOTTOM RIBBON  “POINTS” OF DIAMONDS AND SPOT GLUED SIDE “CORNERS”.   LEFT A FOUR INCH FOLDED FLAP AT THE TOP.  PINNED DOWN THEN GLUED TO HOLD IN PLACE.
6.	TIED THE BOTTOM RIBBON STRANDS WITH A GOLD TINSEL TIE -WRAPPED THREE TIMES.
7.	CENTERED  A  NARROW (1.5”)  RIBBON  OVER THE RIBBON FLAPS AT BASKET TOP.  GLUED  AND TIED TWO ENDS TO BASKET EDGES.  THE CENTER OF THE RIBBON WAS GATHERED WITH GOLD WIRE.  ADDED A BLACK MAGNETIC PENDANT.
8.	MADE AN OUTLINE OF  BASKET ON BLACK FLOCKED PAPER FOR BACKING.  THE  TRIANGULAR  SHAPE WAS  7” WIDE AT TOP AND 14” IN LENGTH.  SPOT GLUED TO BASKET.
9.	MACKENZIE CHILDS SMALL PLATE WAS ATTACHED TO BASKET WITH PLATE HANGER.
10.	ADDED POINSETTIA AND SILVER EUCALYPTUS BRANCH.

RIBBON BASKET -  9 COLUMNS

STEP FIVE (A)	STEP FOUR (A)	STEP THREE (A)	STEP TWO (A)	STARTED HERE WORKED OUT			STEP TWO (B)	STEP THREE (B)	STEP FOUR (B)	STEP FIVE (B)
NARROW (2”)  RIBBON 24” LONG STEP SIX GLUED OVER THE RIBBON FLAPS AND TIED IN THE BACK.
NARROW (1.5”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE	WIDE  (3”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE	NARROW (1.5”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE	WIDE  (3”) RIBBON 12” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE		WIDE  (3”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE	WIDE  (3”) RIBBON 12” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE		NARROW (1.5”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE	WIDE  (3”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE	NARROW (1.5”) RIBBON 24” LONG WOVEN IN AND OUT OF WIRE

GORGEOUS TREE!!!
THANK YOU, MAY ARTS!!!

CHALLENGE- CHRISTMAS TREE WOW!!!



RECYCLED POINSETTIAS
USED SPRAY PAINT AFTER SPRAYING GESSO ON.



Ok… turkey leftovers are gone. Fall decorations are put away.

Time for Christmas season and a new challenge!  Making the tree more beautiful than the year before! 

 When all of the ornament boxes are down, I start an inventory of all the STUFF!

I am a packrat at heart- (Don’t report me to the “Hoarders” producers on TV).

I still have buttons and bow supplies from Sara’s childhood.  She is now married!!!

I decide to work with bright colors and bling!!! Last year and the year before, there were huge red roses with striped black and white ribbons. I love to go to our downtown floral warehouses.  These flowers were a dollar and look like they cost $$$$.   I look in my poinsettia stack and I decide that it’s time to RECYCLE!!!!

Ok, I’m up for the challenge.  Out come my Design Master Spray cans that have been collecting dust and rust in the garage.  As you can tell from my blog, we had a wedding this summer.  So, out come the ribbons in black, ivory, and bright colors left over from the rehearsal dinner.  I have ordered some May Arts wired ribbons in bright colors and I am participating in the Christmas ribbon contest.

My brain is up at 3:30am thinking color schemes and animal print.  Bright festive Mexican colors: pink, aqua, lime green, golden yellow. Animal prints are soooo IN so I take out my leopard spot tree skirt and mantel piece.  (I had these made a few years ago by a local seamstress. I purposefully used a gold piping to be able to adapt to new color schemes.  (I am always thinking ahead!! LOL) 

OK… Let me stop writing and start the process…

Wish me luck!  I’ll report progress this afternoon.

Tamales, Tamales, Tamales

Coming up !
Supplies, Ingredients, Gadgets, Etc.