February 09, 2022

Green Chili Corn Tamales

 These plant-based tamales came as a result of tweaking nacho 'cheese' sauce by Taesha Butler with Dr McDougall's tamale recipe, and adding my own spin to get the tamales I desired. They are easy to eat by hand as a snack while running out the door, and taste delicious on a plate with mexican rice, refried beans, and salsa. 

Cheese Sauce

2 cups butternut squash peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes (or 1 package prepared butternut squash from costco). 
2 cups raw cashews
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup almond milk unsweetened and plain
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 tsp  paprika
1 large clove garlic or to taste. Sub 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if needed.

1 jar green chilies from costco, or 3 cans mild diced green chilies

optional: water or vegetable broth

Instructions
In a medium saucepan, combine butternut squash, cashews and water. 

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until squash is tender.

After the butternut squash and cashews are done cooking, pour into a high-speed blender or food processor blender, including cooking liquid. Add remaining ingredients to blender too. 

Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Add some water or veggie broth ad lib to make for a thinner cheese sauce. 

Mix in 1/2 jar of green chilies or all cans of chilies. 

Store in an air-tight container in fridge for up to 5 days.


Make Dr McDougall's tamale mixture with one differnce: substitute this cheese mixture for the wet ingredients at a 1:1 ratio. The consistency should be barely looser than soft play dough. Mix in a drained can of corn, or 1-2 cups of frozen corn. This can then be stored in the fridge in a covered container for several days until ready to use, or used immediately. No filling is needed with these tamales. 

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