Make your own Plant-Based tamales that will transport your taste buds to your favorite Mexican Restaurant.

Serves 4-6 People

Ingredients

For Ground Taco ME’EAT

• 1 Bag RollinGreens Ground Taco ME’EAT
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the Tamales

• 20 corn husks
• 2 cups masa flour
• 2 cups veg stock or water
• ½ cup avocado oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Juice of 2 limes

For the Rojo Sauce

• 1 bag ground mild red chili powder (2-3 oz.)
• 1 onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Epazote herb (use oregano if you don’t have)
• 12 oz. vegetable stock
• 12 oz. cold water
• 2 tbsp rice flour mix with 3 oz. cold water

For the Avocado Crème

• 1 avocado
• 1/8 cup half & half (optional dairy free alternative)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 wedge lime

For the Toppings

• 3 leaves iceberg lettuce
• 1 Roma tomato

Instructions

1. For the Ground Taco ME’EAT, bring 2 cups water and olive oil to a boil in a medium pot or pan. Reduce heat to medium low.
2. Add the entire contents of the Ground Taco ME’EAT and stir well.
3. Cook 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Turn heat to simmer.
4. For the rojo sauce, in a pot, turn to medium heat. Chop onion to ½ inch dice. Add a whole garlic clove after de-skinning. Place 2 tbsp olive oil, onion and garlic into pot and stir. Cook for 3-5 minutes stirring every minute. Add herb to pot and stir for 10 seconds and add chili powder and remove from pot from burner. To the same pot, add 9 oz. of cold water and 12 oz. of veg. stock to pot and stir. In a measuring cup, mix the other 3 oz. of water and rice flour and whisk together, then add to pot. Blend sauce with an immersion blender right in the pot or if you are using a regular blender, placing sauce back into same pot after blended. Return pot to stove top and heat too low and keep hot until you are ready to add to your tamales.
5. For tamale masa, in a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients under the Tamales sectional. In a large cup or small mixing bowl, add all the liquid ingredients labeled tamales and stir. Make a whole in the center of the large dry mix, then add the liquid ingredients including the oil. Mix and cover with cellophane. Allow to rest while make your Ground Taco ME’EAT.
6. For tamale assembly, remove your husks from their water bath. Using 1-2 husks, pull apart ever ¼ to ½ inch making ties. Fill a ½ cup measuring cup with masa and spread ¼ inch evenly onto a husk. With a spoon add a 2-3 tbsp ME’EAT down the middle of the Masa. Holding the tamale with your hands, fold over the husk, sealing in the filling. Wrap the tamale using another husk, tie each end. Repeat until all the masa and or filling is finished.
7. For steaming, in the largest pot you own with a fitting top, add water up to the level of your steam basket, add salt. Add a few husks down first on your steam basket before you add the stuffed tamale. Add tamales standing up vertically. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours on low. Check water levels throughout your steam, adding in water if necessary.
8. For the avocado crème, in a small mixing bowl add avocado, garlic, salt, and juice of lime wedge and mix smooth. Add half & half and blend. Place into a serving bowl and cover with cellophane and make sure the cellophane touches the top of the avocado crème.
9. For the toppings, dice tomato. And shred the lettuce. Add both tomatoes and lettuce to top of each tamale.

-Enjoy Chef Ko