Low Fat Tamale Pie Recipes

HEALTHY TAMALES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot, place the cornhusks and cover with hot water to soften them. Leave there for at least 30 minutes. Drain and reserve.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (corn masa-harina, baking powder and salt) , and stir in the vegetable oil. Pour the warm chicken broth and mix with a spatula until you form the dough into a creamy texture, similar to soft ice cream. If the dough doesn't look as creamy as in the picture, add a little more broth, a tablespoon at the time.
• Spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough on the already soft corn husk using a spoon or spatula. Top with 2 tablespoons of the filling. Fold one left side of the husk to the center and then the right side to the center. Finally, fold the end toward the center of the tamal. Place the tamal on a tray while you finish assembling the rest.
• Now, get your steamer ready adding a couple of hot cups of water and line the steamer rack with corn husks. If you don't have a steamer, place loose pieces of aluminum foil at the bottom of the pot to function as a steamer rack.
• Place the tamales standing up, cover with the rest of the corn husk, a clean dishtowel, and the pot lid.
• Cook for 60 minutes to 75 minutes over a medium heat. While cooking, add more hot water to the pot if needed, be careful with the steam while removing the lid. To make sure your tamales are done, remove one and if the corn husk can easily be removed from the dough they are ready. The tamales will firm up after cooked.

SKINNY TAMALE PIE RECIPE - (4.5/5)

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9″ 2-quart casserole dish or oven proof 9″glass bowl with cook spray and set aside. 2. For the tamale filling: In a large nonstick pan over medium heat, add the ground beef, onions and garlic. Cook stirring often, breaking up beef until meat is browned. Pour into a colander to drain the fat. Add back to pan. 3. Stir in beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, chili powder. salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 4. To make corn bread topping: Add to a mixing bowl 1½ cups water and corn bread mix. Mix by hand until lumps disappear. 5.. Pour the tamale mixture into the casserole dish. Spread evenly. Top with corn bread batter and spread evenly. 6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the corn bread comes out clean. 7. Cool a bit and cut into 8 slices. This dish will keep for several days in the refrigerator and freezes great. Makes 8 servings Food Fact It's argued as to where tamale pie originated. It's a toss-up whether it came from Mexico, Texas or California. Early recipes called for pork or beef cubed or hashed but today it's usually made with ground beef. Shopping Tip Most large supermarkets sell Marie Callender's Southwest Cornbread Mix. It's usually found in the baking aisle where the other cornbread mixes are displayed. Their low fat corn bread mix will also work for this recipes.

LOW FAT TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Saute` onion and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling meat and cook until no longer pink.
• Add chili powder, corn, tomatoes, jalapenos and olives. Simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 11x7-inch baking dish.
• Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, salt and milk in a 2-qt. saucepan. Heat on medium and untiol thickened, stirring almost almost continuously.
• Spread cornmeal over top of meat and vegetables.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until top is golden.

LOW FAT CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Unwrap corn husks, remove any corn silk, and place husks into hot water to soak. You can add spices to the bath (3 tsp ground onion, 3 tsp ground garlic, 2 tsp fresh oregano, 1 tsp cumin). Cover the bowl and let the husks soak 2 - 3 hours, until very pliable.
• Cut visible fat from chicken breast and split (to give you two large chicken breast filets). Place chicken in a medium (2 1/2qt.) stock pot. Roughly chop tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Place on chicken. Split one jalapeno and remove seeds and pith. Dice, then add to pot. Place second jalapeno, whole, into pot with two bay leaves. Add enough water to cover the chicken and vegetable (about 2 - 3 cups). Sprinkle one teaspoons chicken bouillon, 1/2 tsp fresh oregano, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes on top. Stir broth to distribute seasonings.
• Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 - 4 minutes. Turn the heat off, cover, and let it sit 20 - 30 minutes, until chicken is bright white and cooked through.
• Remove the chicken to a bowl. Remove and discard the bay leaves, retain the jalapeno (de-stem and de-seed then chop). Place remaining vegetables into a blender, and blend until nearly smooth. Some chunks are okay. Add a dash or two of Tobasco or your favorite hot sauce for a little extra kick. Set this mixture aside. Don't throw out the broth!
• Using forks or by hand, pull the chicken breast apart into strings. Once all the breast is "stringy," chop to bite size pieces. Mix the chicken with about 1/2-cup of the salsa you just made (this is a guess, you want the chicken moistened but not soggy with salsa. Err on the dry side). Set aside.
• To make the masa mix 3-cups of maseca (instant tamale/tortilla mix) with 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir to combine. Separately, stir 1/2-cup yogurt into 2 1/2 cups left over poaching broth (add water if you don't have enough left over broth). Once liquids are combined, stir them into the masa mix. You want to achieve a wet dough consistency-- not quite cake batter, but not bread. Sort of like a quick bread.
• To assemble the tamales: place one or two corn husks (depending on size) on a flat surface,. Pat off any excess water. Scoop two tablespoons of masa into the center, and spread it to 1/4" thick, leaving plenty of room around the edges. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture onto the masa, and spread in a line. Bring one side of the masa over the filling to meet the other side. Squish together and roll, tucking in the sides. Repeat until all the masa is used.
• To steam the tamales: place tamales in a large steamer that has been filled to the appropriate level with the left-over corn husk bath water. Line tamales across one way, then turn 90º and line them the other way. Stack the tamales until all are in the pot. Cover the tamales with a heavy cloth (to absorb the condensation), then place the lid on top. Bring the pot to a boil, then simmer and steam for 2 - 3 hours, or until the masa pulls away from the corn husk easily.
• To finish tamales in the oven: Line tamales up on the racks of the oven. Convection bake for approximately twenty minutes at 325º.
• Serve hot and with the left over salsa!

KETO TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• For the tamale pie filling, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté about 10 minutes, or till the onions start to become transparent and darken. Add the bell pepper and continue to sauté till tender. Add the garlic and stir.
• Add the chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon and cook for two minutes while tossing.
• Add the ground beef. Crumble the ground beef while browning. Continue stirring the vegetables while you do this. Add the beef base paste and stir it in.
• Optional: Add the spinach and turn the heat off. Allow the spinach to wilt for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato sauce.
• Pour filling into an 8"x8" glass pan or similar size (I've also used a ceramic casserole dish like this gorgeous one).
• Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the filling.
• For the cornbread topping, add all ingredients except the last 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium bowl and stir till smooth. Gently spread evenly over the top of the filling. Baste the remaining melted butter evenly over the top of the cornbread topping.
• Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 25 minutes. Allow the casserole dish to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!