Hot Tamales

So, it has taken me a while to get this recipe up.  This is mostly due to the fact that it is a long one and I have been procrastinating typing it up.  Tamales are a little time consuming to make, so I recommend attempting this one on a weekend or whenever you have a day off.  The results are amazing and so awesome since it is hard to find a good vegan hot tamale, or even a vegetarian one for that matter. I can assure you these are worth the time and effort.  If you don't want to make your own broth you can substitute the "Not-Beef Broth" from Edward and Sons.

You will need a few things before you get started.


First:  You need corn husks.
I thought this would be easy since I had seen them on grocery store shelves before many times.  However, when I went to find them, no one had them, not even "The Latin Corner".  I asked at at least 4 different stores before I bumped into a friend and she told me one store I had never been to where she had seen them.  Success at last!  Now you can find them on every shelf again, I just don't get it.  They are for sure at Kroger and Albertson's here in Lake Charles. Or you can order them here online if you can't find them.
Second: You need a steamer basket and a large pot with a lid.  
This wasn't as hard to find, but I wasn't going to spend $40+ dollars on one of those big ones with the pot to put it in. Instead I used a pot and lid I already had and I found
 a steamer basket like this at Target for $7.
Once you have these things you are ready to begin!!

Vegan Hot Tamales
Makes about a dozen


Ingredients:

Broth For the Filling (or sub 1 Cube "Not-Beef Broth) :
1 Cup Water
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt

Filling
1 Recipe Broth (above)
1 Cup TVP
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
4 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin

For Dough:
2 Cups Masa Harina
1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/4 Cup Safflower Oil
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Black Pepper

Directions:
*Before you begin, soak your corn husks in a large bowl of water.  Allow them to soak while you prepare the dough and filling or at least 15 minutes or so.  Push them down in, then flip the stack over and over and make sure they are all covered in water.

*You need to make the TVP "Beef"first so it can cool.

*Whisk together all ingredients for broth, or if you are using Not Beef bullion mix one cube with 1 Cup Water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat. 

*Add all seasonings for Filling to the broth, except for the TVP.  Stir to incorporate well, then stir in TVP.

*Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.  

*Now make your dough.  

*Mix together masa harina with all seasonings.  Once combined, add Safflower oil, then vegetable broth.  Mix well.  

*To Assemble Tamales

*For each tamale you will need 2 husks. 

*Scoop about 2 Tbsp of dough onto one husk and then smash it flat with your hands.

*Add about 1 Tbsp TVP Beef Filling down the center of the dough.  


*Pull the sides of the husk together to roll the dough over the filling.  Wrap the sides down then fold both ends in on top.  Place the husk seam side down onto a second husk.  Roll the second husk around the first in an opposite fashion by folding the ends in first, then rolling the sides in.  Tear a strip from another husk and tie together to form a little bundle.  

*Repeat until all filling or dough is used.  Should be around a dozen depending on what size you make them.  

*Place steamer into a large pot with boiling water in the bottom.  Place tamales in steamer with the tied side up.  (I was able to get all dozen in my pot.) 




*Cover and steam for about 40 minutes. (add a little water to pot if needed.  Make sure water does not boil away)
*Remove from heat and enjoy while still steaming.  



    

Vegan Sausage Patties

I used to really enjoy the Morningstar Sausage Patties in my Vegetarian days, but since they are not Vegan friendly I decided to try my hand at making my own.  I know there are other brands that are Vegan, but I just prefer to make my own.  This list of ingredients looks long, but keep in mind that most of it is spices and you can omit a couple if you do not have them.  The fennel is a must, as is the Cayenne and Black Pepper, but the rest is just the combination I came up with that I enjoy.  So if you try to make these and you don't have mace spice on hand, don't panic and don't go spend $13 on it as it is an expensive spice to purchase to use so little.  These are really easy to make and the frozen leftovers are awesome on those mornings when we are eating and running out for school or work.

To accompany the sausages I also made the delicious  Fat Free Vegan French Toast from happyherbivore.com

Vegan Sausage Patties 
Makes 8-10


Ingredients: 

½ cup TVP
½ cup Boiling water
¼ cup Whole wheat flour
¼ cup Flax seed, ground
¼ cup Oatmeal, ground
2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
1 tsp Garlic powder
½ tsp Crushed sage
½ tsp Ground fennel
½ tsp Black pepper
½ tsp Cayenne
¼ tsp Mace
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
¼ cup Water
½ tsp Liquid smoke
3 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos
¼ tsp Blackstrap molasses
1-2 Tbsp Safflower oil (for frying)

Directions:

* Stir together TVP and boiling water and set aside to soak for 5 minutes. 

*With a mortar and pestle, grind the oatmeal and flax seed.

*In a medium bowl, mix flour, flax, oats, brown sugar, and dry spices.

*Stir in TVP.

* In a measuring cup, measure out water; add liquid smoke directly to the cup and stir, (this way the smoke will be evenly distributed). Stir in Braggs and Molasses.

*Then add wet to dry; mix well. With your hands, form mixture into 2" balls and flatten slightly into patties.

* Fry in oil in an uncovered frying pan on medium heat, about 2 minutes per side (or until browned).

*Place on a plate covered with a paper towel to cool and absorb extra oil.

* Freeze leftovers (if you have any) and microwave 1-2 minutes to reheat.  

Natchitoches Pies

     Keeping with the Vegan in Louisiana theme I decided to try my hand at the famous Natchitoches Meat Pies.  TVP is always a good substitute for anything that would normally require ground meat.  If you can not find TVP in your area or if you are rushed for time, you can use Boca Crumbles or Fantastic World Food's Taco Filling. Both of these meat substitutes are Vegan.  The MorningStar Farms version is not, it contains both dairy and egg.
 
     To make mine a bit healthier I chose to use whole wheat flour and also to bake them. Traditionally they are fried. I have to admit I have never actually had a meat pie since I have been a Veg since I was 10. So, I got confirmation from William, who was a meat-eater when we moved to Louisiana, that these do in fact taste like the traditional ones.

Natchitoches Pies
(Makes 8 to 10 depending on size) 



Ingredients:

For Dough:

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 Tbsp Raw Sugar
8 Tbsp cold Vegan Butter, cut into small pieces
4 - 5 Tbsp Ice Water

For Filling: 

1 Tbsp Safflower Oil
1 Tbsp Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
1 Onion, chopped
1 Cup TVP
1 Cup Water
2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s)
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
2 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
1 Recipe Dough (above)

Directions:

To Make Dough;

*Combine all dry ingredients in food processor or blender and pulse to combine.

*Add butter and pulse until it is in pea-size pieces.

*Drizzle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse again. Add more ice water if the dough seems too dry. Form inot a ball, wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

To Make Pies: 

*In a medium size pot bring 1 Cup water to a boil. Add TVP , Bragg’s, Worcestershire, Cajun seasoning, and Garlic Powder. Stir, then cover and remove from heat. Let sit 10 minutes.

*Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat; whisk in 1 Tbsp flour, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add TVP mixture and cook another 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

*On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Use a 4-5 inch diameter round cookie cutter or cut around a cup to make a circle of dough.

*Place a heaping Tbsp of TVP filling in the center of each round. Fold dough over filling and seal edges closed by pressing with a fork. Repeat to make remaining pies, re-rolling dough scraps as needed.

* Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and bake 15- 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Biodegradable Trash Bags for Lawn and Leaves

So, as far as yard work goes, I tend to let it all pile up and then just mow it all up into "mulch" once the grass starts growing.  We usually do one big yard clean up per season and I hate with a passion having to fill all those plastic bags with yard clippings.  I bothers me to know that they just end up in a landfill somewhere for all eternity.  Did you know that regular plastic bags can take over 100 years to degrade? So for this product review I decided to try 2 different kinds of biodegradable bags for lawn and leaves.  The two products I chose were:

and 

Like I mentioned, it had been a while since we last cleaned our yard, probably around 6-8 months, so we had quite the task ahead of us.  Some of the lawn waste was wet and moldy and some was dry, so we figured this would be a good test of these products.  In the end we decided we like the Garbax Paper Lawn and Leaf Bags the most.  (We ended up using 15 bags to finish the front yard, image that much plastic going to waste) Here are the pros and cons of each product.  

Pros:
30 Gallon Bags-Very large in size,
2 Ply - strong
Free Standing - This was my favorite part,
Biodegradable,
Paper is a renewable resource
Price - found these for $2 for 5 bags at Big Lots
Easy to Seal - Just roll the top down

Cons:
Still killing trees?



Pros:
Biodegradable and Compostable
GMO Free
Vegetable Based inks and dyes
Polyethylene free

Cons:
Not Free Standing,
Thin plastic - tears easily with twigs and sticks,
Wet debris begins biodegrading almost immediately,
Price - $8-$10 for 5 bags

In the end we decided to use the remaining BioBags for going camping and for other waste.  The main problems with the BioBags was how fast holes formed in the bags once wet debris was placed inside.  Even the tiniest of twigs poked additional holes through the bags.  I like the idea of not using paper, but instead using a bag "based on starch vegetable oil and other renewable resources", but they just did not impress me like I hoped they would. They were expensive, they broke down too easily, and they were a pain to fill up since they are not free standing.  









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