Even though I haven’t covered the fillings yet… Let’s take a look at how to assemble and steam traditional (wrapped in corn husk) tamales. It’s not difficult, and there are a lot of pictures here to guide you.
Assembly To begin, you will need many dry corn husks, one for each tamale, plus a few extras, in case something goes awry. I buy mine in bags at the grocery store. I try to find a brand that has a single stack of very flat husks. Look for ones that don’t have a lot of breakage, and are as clean as possible. If you see a lot of black, moldy spots, choose a different bag.
Not everyone wants a corn masa for their tamales. In some parts of South America, it isn’t even traditional to use corn for either the masa or the wrappers! A common alternative is to use chick peas. An alternative wrapper is banana leaves.
I’ve given my version of chick pea masa an even different twist: I’ve sprouted the peas to boost the nutritional value and change the flavor profile!
In addition, I’ll be showing you an alternative method to using your stand mixer.
It’s Tamale Week! At the beginning of fall, I start dreaming about tamales: green corn with chili, red chili, plain smothered in tamale sauce, even sweet tamales filled with nuts, dried and fresh fruit such as apples, pineapple and cinnamon. Yum! They are a traditional ethnic holiday food. So when the weather starts cooling off, I start planing for the holiday season. Tamales can be made ahead and frozen, then reheated before serving, so they are something I can make early… ahead of the holiday rush. The only problem is that I often have to make them again, later, because they are so good they tend to disappear before it even gets close to Dia de los Muertos, let alone Thanksgiving or Christmas!
I have a special request from a regular viewer! He has asked me about my food dehydrator!
A Few Years Ago My daughter asked for a food dehydrator for a gift several years ago. I don’t think she really thought I would get it for her, because of the cost, but I did. She is very involved in the Boy Scouts (my grandson is a Scout) and loves camping. In addition, she lives in an area of the U.S. where just about everyone hunts. She wanted to be able to make jerky, and to dehydrate foods for camping. I think she has used it to make fruit leather more than for any other purpose.
This week in our Bountiful Baskets we got Collard Greens.
HUH? Collard Greens? I have no clue what to do with those! The only thing that comes to mind is that boiled, nasty, bitter Southern dish that usually also includes ham or bacon!
DH says, “You said we need to eat lots of dark, leafy greens! You can probably treat it like Kale, like in quick stir fry or something.”
Yeah, right. I’m not sure I’m going to like this. But what the heck, one of the reasons we started with Bountiful Baskets was to expand our horizons and try new things.
I made a yummy concotion for dinner that we call Aztec Stew. It is a warm, comforting stew that’s good when you want something a bit richer for dinner. It ended up with that name because most of the ingredients originated in Central and South America, although not all of them.
In addition to foods you are readily familiar with, this one contains something special: Nopalitos!
Nopales are the prepared pads of the prickly pear cactus. Normally the younger pads are carefully peeled to remove the spines, then they are cut into small pieces. Nopalitos is a popular dish in Mexico. They have a slightly tart flavor and a bit of a gummy texture, which allows them to thicken soups and stews. Another popular dish is Huevos con Nopales, or scrambled eggs and nopales. They are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber which makes them useful for managing diabetes and cholesterol problems.
Daryl: Knarly, Dude! What is that thing?
Sam: I dunno. I found it in the grocery store. I thought you might know what to do with it?
Daryl: Ummm… Looks like a door stop to me!
OK, enough fun. This thing is a Jicama! (And it actually is gnarly, as you’ll see in a bit.)
Jicama, also called a Yam Bean or Mexican Turnip, is the tuberous root of a Mexican legume vine. The vine itself can grow very large, over 15 feet tall and the root can be as large as 6 feet in diameter. Needless to say, you won’t find one that large in the grocery store!
On Tuesday, MIL came over for dinner. She is a dessert-a-holic, so I always try to make something special for after the meal when she is here.
On the other hand, dinner was running late due to unforeseen circumstances, so I didn’t have time to make this as an ice cream. Instead I simplified the recipe, and turned the concept into a milk shake!
Happily for everyone, it turned out great!
I have always loved green beans. I will eat them hot or cold. In a soup, in a casserole, just plain… any way I can get them!
When I was a kid, I used to grab a can from the cupboard, open it and drain the liquid, rinse the beans, and pour my favorite salad dressing over them in the can and eat them for snacks.
Needless to say, canned green beans aren’t very good… but that shows you how much I love them.
Do you buy canned refried beans? A lot of people do because they can’t figure out how to make a good, homemade version. But, if you make them yourself, you can control exactly what goes in them and make a healthier version. You’ll also save money, because dried beans are a lot less expensive than canned!
I make all my beans in the crock pot. I find it much easier and they require minimal babysitting. My method skips the soaking, so from dried to done is usually faster, too.
Saturday night we had Vegan Veggie Burritos for dinner! We used a mixture of things we made, things we had leftover on hand and things we bought at the Whole Foods food bar earlier in the day. I had the avocados and lettuce and needed to use them that day. I had already decided the night before to soak the nuts to make taco mix. I made the nut mix before going out in the morning so it would be ready by dinner.
Grilled Pineapple Guacamole Ingredients 2 avocados, chopped 1 slice grilled pineapple, chopped fine _ red onion chopped white balsamic vinegar lime juice, fresh seasoning Directions Combine all ingredients.
This is so simple to make and only takes a few seconds.
Tofu Sour Cream Equipment Required blender Ingredients 8 oz silken tofu 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon white basalmic vinegar Directions Blend in the blender until creamy and smooth Notes Make this at least an hour before you eat it so all the flavors can meld.
This week, we got new golden potatoes, corn and leeks in our Bountiful Baskets! So I decided, since it was raining on Tuesday, to make a potato leek chowder for dinner.
We roasted the corn on the grill and removed it from the cobs on Saturday. Then it was put into the freezer in 2-cup servings to use later. So for this recipe, I just pulled out and defrosted the amount I needed.
How many of you think of sweet potatoes as that sweet, marshmallow topped dish served at Thanksgiving? Or, perhaps you’ve had them baked into a pie resembling pumpkin pie? If you’re lucky, you’ve had them baked just like a regular potato, or even better, made into air fries!
They are really good for you, rich in fiber, beta carotene (the darker orange the flesh is, the more they have) and Vitamin B6. They reduce inflammation, are a rich antioxidant, and can help stabilize blood sugar levels, lowering insulin resistance.
Coleslaw is quick and easy to make… Even if you’re starting the dressing from scratch! It can be a side dish, or eaten as a snack. It’s great for picnics and tailgate parties.
But how do you make a vegan dressing? Start with a commercial Vegenaise? Not me! This is how I make vegan coleslaw dressing.
Here’s my setup.
Equipment Blender
Ingredients See recipe below.
Method Put all of the ingredients except the olive oil in the blender.
Aren’t these some of the prettiest milk bottles you’ve ever seen?
I got these at the Container Store for about $4 each. The covers are plastic lined, and they hold a quart. (You can also purchase the covers separately.) If you need a lot of them, they are also available on Amazon . A case sells for about $46, a bit of a savings. If you don’t need that many, consider going together with a friend and splitting them!
Do you eat kale ? Well, you should!
But most people either don’t know what to do with it, or don’t like it. One of the Bountiful Baskets volunteers told DH that she feeds it to her rabbits! Wow! Her rabbits are eating healthier than she is!
Kale is loaded with nutrition that your body needs. Three and a half ounces of raw kale contains 13621 IU of Vitamin A, 72 mg of Calcium, 10 mg of Magnesium and 228 mg of Potassium! And that’s just for starters. It’s also a great source of Vitamin K, C and lutein. It is one of the foods that blocks the growth of cancer cells.
DH is crazy about falafel ! At one time, in the past, we were going to any restaurant he could find that served it, just so he could try their version.
I learned a couple of things along the way: I don’t like it when it is seasoned with cheap, yellow curry powder (aka McCormick .) I actually don’t like anything seasoned with that. I also don’t like them when they are heavy and greasy, without a kind of fluffy interior.
I’m not really a morning person. I’m SO not a morning person, my kids will tell you that breakfast, when they were young, was a big challenge! I usually skipped it for myself, or ate something that wasn’t a good idea.
We’ve all been there: Fly out of bed, get ready for work, send the kids off to school, fly out the door… maybe with a cup of coffee or soda in hand. Rush, rush, rush…