Delicious, Healthier Tamales

Delicious, Healthier Tamales

Ingredients

For Tamale Masa:

  • 5 lbs. Fresh Masa
  • 14 oz Can Chicken Broth
  • ¼ Cup Chili Powder        
  • 2 – 3 Tablespoons Salt
  • 1/8 Cup Baking Powder
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil 

For Filling:

  • 6 lbs. Lean Ground Turkey (or the meat of your choice)
  • 1 Tablespoon Salt
  • 1/3 Cup Chili Powder
  • 4 Cloves of Garlic – Minced
  • 1 tsp. Black Pepper    
  • 1½ tsp. Ground Cumin
  • ½ Cup Water (if needed) 

 

You will also need a large packet of corn husks!

Directions

To prepare the Tamale Masa:

Mix all ingredients together until they are blended and place in refrigerator while preparing meat.

To prepare the Filling:

Heat pan on medium heat and cook ground turkey until browned. Add salt, chili powder, garlic, black pepper, and cumin. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes until meat is fully cooked. Add water if needed to keep meat moist. Let the meat cool down before making tamales.

Preparing the tamales:

Soak 100 large corn husks in warm water for 1 – 2 hours until soft and flexible. Take husks out of water once soft, and dry on clean towels before making tamales.

    1. Take 2 tablespoons of masa and spread on smooth side of a large corn husk
    2. Spread the masa into a thin rectangle close to the wider end of the corn husk
    3. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture in the middle of the masa
    4. Take one side of the corn husk and fold it over the meat filling
    5. Take the other side of the cornhusk and fold it in
    6. Take the pointy end of the cornhusk and fold it upwards, set prepared tamales aside
    7. Repeat steps 1 through 6 until all the masa and meat have been used
    8. Fill the bottom of a tamale pot with water and place steaming tray into the pot, or fill a pot with an inch or two of water and place a steaming basket in the pot. (Tamales need to be steamed, they should not be boiled). Cover pot with lid.
    9. Heat the pot until the water starts to steam slowly and adjust heat to maintain steady slow steam.
    10. Place tamales standing upright into the steamer and steam for 1 to 1 ½ hours with lid on pot until tamales are cooked. Remove tamale from pot and unwrap from corn husks. 

Recipe courtesy of:

Georgiana Bradshaw, RN, CDE (via her colleague, Kate Hilliard, MS, RD, LD, CDE)

Nutrition Facts

Nutrient analysis not available.

3 tamales as prepared are ~300 calories.