Hot Tamales

8 oz package corn husks
Soak corn husks in hot water for at least 30 minutes.Rinse when used if needed and keep in water throughout.

Dough:
4 cups masa harina corn flour
4 cups water or vegetable broth
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix well until a fluffy dough (I use a stand mixer).  Cover and set aside. [Though I have not tried it, I have read you can freeze the olive oil before combining and it will make the tamale dough fluffier.]

Filling:
2 yellow onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 each green, red, pablano and jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
6 tobasco or other hot pepper, finely chopped
1 tomatillo, diced
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups pinto beans (or boiled peanuts or some other legumish thing)
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar (I used a homemade hot pepper vinegar)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs olive oil (or as needed)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a black iron skillet.
Saute onions until softened.
Add garlic and hot peppers and cook for a few minutes, sweetening the garlic, but careful not to brown or burn it.
Add sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, carrot, corn and cook for a few minutes, stiring to combine ingredients.
Add spices, stir and saute for a few minutes.
Add 1/4 cup or more of water or broth, tomato paste, tomatillo, vinegar and cook covered until potatoes are done -- stirring and adding water as needed.
Cook uncovered until almost all the liquid is removed.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Forming Tamales:
Flatten dough in husks to about a 1/4 inch thickness.
Spoon filling onto the middle of the flattened dough and wrap with the dough such that no filling is oozing out and that the husks are surrounding the entire tamale.
Fold the husk to create a neat package and tie closed with a strip of husk.  There are numerous techniques for wrapping tamales.  Just figure out something that works. 

Steaming Tamales:
Steamed tamales for over 1-2 hours, adding water to steamer as needed
I don't have a steamer, so...I put brought about a quart of water to boil in a large cooking pot; lined a metal strainer with some soaked corn husks; filled the strainer with the tamales standing on end; fit strainer into top of the cooking pot and covered the pot with its lid (the strainer happens to fit down into the pot and the lid fits it so it can work just like a steamer).

Serve immediately or freeze in a freezer bag the steamed tamales still in their husks and reheat indiviually, wrapped in paper towel for 2 minutes on high in a microwave or re-steam.

Grits, Tempeh and Gravy

Grits:
1 cup traditional, white stone-ground grits
4 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
Few grains celery seed
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper
Few drops Tobasco sauce

Cook the grits as directed (rinse, combine with water, bring to boil, cook for 30 minutes)
Add the olive oil after you reduce from a boil (reduces sticking)
Add the rest of the ingredients whenever you feel inclined.  Use celery seed sparingly to provide a salty taste so you can get away with using much less salt.

Tempeh:

Multi-grain tempeh cut into thin strips (4 - 8 oz or however much you want)

Marinade:
3 Tbs tamari soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
enough water to cover tempeh
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine marinade ingredients and tempeh in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn-off heat and let sit for as long as you like.  Reserve the marinade and cook and brown the tempeh in a black frying pan at medium high heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Gravy:
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
3 cups water
marinade from above

After cooking and removing the tempeh, add the marinade to the black frying pan, bring to a boil and reduce until almost all the liquid is gone. Remove heat for a few minutes.  Whisk the flour into the water and add all at once to the frying pan.  Over medium high heat, bring to a boil and lower temperature as needed so the mixture is bubbling fairly rapidly.  Cook  bubbling for about 3 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.