Vegetarian Tamales
By: Anonymous
Published: Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 7:55am

Ingredients




3 ounces Dried corn husks
1 cup TVP granules or flakes
cup Hot water
2 tablespoons Olive oil
cup Onion, chopped small
3 Cloves garlic, minced
1 Green pepper, chopped small
1 tablespoon Chili powder
2 teaspoons Cumin
teaspoon Garlic salt
cup Tomato puree
Dash of cayenne
2 cups Masa harina
1 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Margarine or oil

Preparation

1 Soak the dried corn husks in cold water for 1 hour. 2 For the filling, soak the TVP in 7/8 c. hot water for 5 minutes. Saute the olive oil, onion, garlic and green pepper in a skillet. 3 Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, tomato puree and cayenne to the reconstituted TVP. Mix TVP and onions and heat together for 2 minutes. 4 Taste the filling and add a little hot sauce, if desired. 5 To make the masa dough, place the masa harina and salt into a bowl. Slowly add enough warm water (about 1 1/2 cups) to make a firm but moist dough, working in the margarine or oil as you knead the mixture. 6 To form the tamales, use the palm of your hand to slap-pat the masa dough into flat patties a quarter-inch thick. Fold patty around a spoonful of filling and place in a drained corn husk. Fold the husk over to enclose the filling. If husks are small or broken, use several pieces. Place 1 cup hot water in thebottom of a kettle, place a steamer rack in the kettle and stack tamales on rack. Cover pan, bring water to a boil, reduce heat and steam tamales 45 minutes. You may want to cook them in two batches, depending on the size of your steamer. 7 Makes 36-40 tamales.