I spent the batter half of yesterday making tamales with the hubby, but with new fillings, and a new size; gigantic! i didn’t feel much like rolling a gajillion cigar sized ones, so we made dinner sized ones. we still rolled about fifty, down from last time, which i think was 8 dozen 
we made smoky re-fried beans from scratch, a crazy spicy indian lentil dal-because we’re crazy like that, and a super duper yummy mole spiced mock duck. i called those ones tamoles, get it!? use the same dough recipe, found here http://midwestvaygun.wordpress.com/tag/mexican/ and make sure to halve it before putting it in your mixer, or you will have a mess! half of the dough will make 32 small/medium tamales, in case you were curious.
TAMOLES! OLE!
makes 16
1 lb seitan, or mock duck, or veggie crumbles (TVP if you’re gluten free). diced.
1/4 c vegetable stock
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbs peanut butter
1.5 tbs Penzey’s Chili 9000*
in a cast iron skillet, saute the onions in a few tablespoons corn, or canola oil until beginning to soften. add the garlic and the seitan and brown. add the chili powder and cook until starting to stick to the pan, about 5 minutes. add the stock to deglaze, and turn down to a simmer. cook for another 5 minutes. toss into a food processor with the peanut butter and pulse until crumbly and combined. let cool slightly before using. also makes a great enchilada or taco filling!
*find it here:http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyschili9000.html
Slow and Smoky Re-Fried Beans
makes a ton, use half now and freeze half for later if necessary
1 lb dried pinto beans, rinsed and soaked over night
1, 2 inch piece kombu (softens and flavors the beans)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/4 vegetable stock
2 tbs earth balance, or corn oil
salt to taste
place beans in a 4qt or larger crock pot and fill 3/4 of the way up with water. add the kombu and bay leaves. cook on low for 10 hours, or on high for 3. remove kombu and bay leaves. drain well and mash immediately with the stock, soy, oil, and smoke. add salt to taste. let cool to room temp before using.
Curried Lentil Dal
makes about 3 cups of filling
1 cup lentils, red green or brown. this also works with split peas!
2 1/2 c vegetable stock
1 tbs yellow curry powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
saute onion in a tbs oil until soft. add the garlic and cook until fragrant. place everything into a small 1qt crock pot and cook on high for 2 hours, and then low for another hour. the dal should be thick and creamy, and you can add more stock or water as needed to adjust consistency. just like the other filling, let this cool a bit before using.
