Vegan Tamales

In the photo, the tamales were filled with Tex-Mex seasoned shredded beaf brisket from my Crafting Seitan cookbook (available through Amazon). Vegan carnitas (from the same cookbook) would be delicious too. Other filling suggestions might be refried beans, or chopped and cooked mixed vegetables, with shredded vegan cheese; Tex-Mex seasoned textured vegetable protein or soy curls. Yields about 20 tamales.

Ingredients for the Masa Dough

  • 4 cups masa harina (do not use regular cornmeal)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 3 cups broth (vegan beef, vegan chicken, or vegetable broth)
  • 1 cup refined coconut oil, melted
  • 1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil

Other Ingredients

  • package dried corn husks
  • Fillings of your choice (about 4 cups of filling for one batch of masa dough)

Preparation

Immerse the corn husks in a large container of very hot water and let stand for a few hours to soften (you will need about ½ the package).

Prepare desired fillings and set aside.

To make the masa dough, add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add the broth and oils and mix well to create a smooth thickened batter.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from drying out.

Assemble the tamales: Lay a corn husk, glossy side up, on the counter with the wide end at the top. Scoop about ¼ cup of masa on to the top center of the corn husk. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the dough and spread the masa using your fingers into a thin layer, about ¼-inch thick (be sure to only spread the dough along the top half of the corn husk to allow plenty of room to fold the bottom husk up when finished filling). Working with the sticky masa takes a little practice, so be patient.

Place about 2 generous tablespoons of desired filling in a line down the center of the dough. Avoid using too much.

Fold in one long side of the husk over the filling. Fold in the other long side, overlapping the first (like folding a brochure). Fold the bottom of the husk up.

Add water to the bottom of your conventional steamer or instant pot (electric pressure cooker). Use 2 cups for the pressure cooker; or a few inches for a steamer pot. In either case, don’t fill above the steamer rack. Lay a few extra corn husks on the bottom rack to keep the tamales from falling through and any boiling water from directly touching them.

Place the tamales standing upright, with their open end up, just tightly enough to keep them standing. If using a steamer pot, lay a few soaked corn husks over the top of the tamales before closing the lid.

Conventional Steamer Pot

Bring the water to a boil (in Mexico it is a common practice to place a coin at the bottom of the steamer and when the coin started to tap in the pot you know the water was boiling.) Set a timer for 50 minutes.

Pressure Cooker

Cook on Manual/High for 25 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, and then quick release.

Store leftover tamales in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

To freeze, allow the cooked tamales to cool, then place them in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Reheating

Reheat the tamales in a conventional steamer; or wrap chilled or frozen tamales in a few dampened paper towels and microwave until warmed through.  The wet paper towels will help them “steam” as they are reheated.

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Crumbly Mexican Soy Chorizo


Crumbly Mexican Soy Chorizo with Vegan Eggz Scramble

Seasoning Blend

  • 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder (mild)
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (spicy hot), or more to taste

Base Ingredients

  • 5 oz pressed extra-firm tofu, finely crumbled
  • ½ cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)

Liquid Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos™
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Preparation

Combine the seasoning blend ingredients in a bowl with the dry TVP granules. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mash and finely crumble the tofu with a fork. Set aside.

Whisk together the liquid ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a brief boil. Add the seasoned TVP granules, cover and set aside to rehydrate for 10 minutes.

Fold in the crumbled tofu until blended through evenly. Refrigerate in an airtight container to allow the tofu to absorb color and seasonings and to blend the flavors. Store up to 1 week in the refrigerator or in the freezer for longer storage. Crumble and brown the mixture in a well-oiled skillet and use in recipes as desired.

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French Onion and Leek Dip

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A savory dip made from scratch with caramelized onions and leeks. Serve with crudités, chips or crackers. This recipe yields about 2 and ½ cups.

Ingredients
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large sweet yellow onion, peeled
• 1 medium leek, white and light green part only
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp)
• 1 T tamari, soy sauce, tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos™
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire Sauce
• ¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper, or more taste
• ¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 cup non-dairy sour cream
• 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
• sea salt or kosher salt to taste, if needed
• chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation
Slice the onions very thin (a mandoline is very helpful) and then chop. Split the leek lengthwise; rinse well to remove any sand and then thinly slice crosswise into “half-moons”.

Add the olive oil to a non-stick skillet and place over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden.

Add the garlic, tamari, Worcestershire, black pepper and thyme and continue to sauté until the vegetables are very soft and nicely caramelized. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until chilled.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the caramelized onion and leek mixture with the sour cream and mayonnaise and mix well. Taste and add salt as needed and additional pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and chill to blend the flavors. Garnish with chopped parsley before serving if desired.

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Mediterranean Mixed Green Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

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Ingredients for the Salad
• crumbled non-dairy Feta
(from my Nuts about Almonds Cookbook or Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook)
• mixed greens of your choice*
• pomegranate seeds
• orange segments
• chopped walnuts, raw or lightly toasted
• sea salt or kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients for the Dressing
• 1 and ½ cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar
• 2 T minced shallot or red onion
• ½ tsp sea salt or kosher salt
• ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper

*Baby spinach, kale, Swiss chard and mizuna were used for the photo.

Preparation
For the dressing, simmer the pomegranate juice in a small saucepan until reduced to approximately ¼ cup. Cool and chill until ready to make the dressing.

Add the pomegranate reduction and the remaining dressing ingredients to a shaker jar and shake until emulsified. Chill thoroughly. Shake the jar thoroughly again before using.

Arrange the salad ingredients on individual plates and drizzle with the dressing; season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Sicilian Panelle

DSC01470-001Panelle, also known as Panella di Ceci, are Sicilian fritters made from chickpea flour and seasonings and are similar to fried polenta. They are a popular street food in Palermo and are often eaten between slices of bread or on a roll, like a sandwich. Panelle are believed to be of Arabic origin. The panelle can be cut into various shapes and sizes before frying.

Ingredients for the Panelle

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 2 T dried parsley flakes
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 cups water
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
• high-temp cooking oil for frying

Ingredients for the Relish (optional)

Mix together in a bowl:
• 3 campari tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 3 T finely diced onion
• 3 T finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• sea salt or kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation
Oil and 8”x8” baking dish or line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Combine the chickpea flour, parsley, onion powder, basil and garlic powder in a bowl.

In a medium saucepan, bring the water, oil and salt to a boil. Reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer and sprinkle in a small portion of the flour mixture while whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Continue to incorporate the flour mixture in increments. Cook the mixture until it begins to pull away a bit from the sides of the saucepan. It will be very thick.

Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and spread evenly. Let cool a bit and then cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or until completely chilled and firm set.

Cut the panelle into any desired shape and fry until golden brown in hot cooking oil. They take a little time to brown, so be patient. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to blot excess oil. Serve warm.

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