Vegetarian Tamales

Food Ingredients:
3 ounces Dried corn husks 1 cup TVP granules or flakes cup Hot water 2 tablespoons Olive oil cup Onion, chopped small 3 Cloves garlic, minced 1 Green pepper, chopped small 1 tablespoon Chili powder 2 teaspoons Cumin teaspoon Garlic salt cup Tomato puree Dash of cayenne 2 cups Masa harina 1 teaspoon Salt 2 tablespoons Margarine or oil

Recipe preparation:
1 Soak the dried corn husks in cold water for 1 hour. 2 For the filling, soak the TVP in 7/8 c. hot water for 5 minutes. Saute the olive oil, onion, garlic and green pepper in a skillet. 3 Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, tomato puree and cayenne to the reconstituted TVP. Mix TVP and onions and heat together for 2 minutes. 4 Taste the filling and add a little hot sauce, if desired. 5 To make the masa dough, place the masa harina and salt into a bowl. Slowly add enough warm water (about 1 1/2 cups) to make a firm but moist dough, working in the margarine or oil as you knead the mixture. 6 To form the tamales, use the palm of your hand to slap-pat the masa dough into flat patties a quarter-inch thick. Fold patty around a spoonful of filling and place in a drained corn husk. Fold the husk over to enclose the filling. If husks are small or broken, use several pieces. Place 1 cup hot water in thebottom of a kettle, place a steamer rack in the kettle and stack tamales on rack. Cover pan, bring water to a boil, reduce heat and steam tamales 45 minutes. You may want to cook them in two batches, depending on the size of your steamer. 7 Makes 36-40 tamales.

Recipe source: Foodista recipe