Authentic Lower-Carb Pork Tamales

Authentic Low-Carb Pork Tamales with Red Sauce

Makes 12 tamales


What makes this recipe lower carb is the fact that I will be using baby corn instead of hominy to make the dough. Hominy has long been used as the agent to ensure the dough stays moist, but baby corn is much lower in carbohydrates so I can make a dough with lower net carbs and still moist and tender while using whole natural foods. I still use the traditional masa harina flour, as for 12 tamales it doesn't require more than half a cup, if you wanted even lower carbs you could substitute the masa for coconut flour but the flavor and texture would be slightly different. The final nutritional count for each tamale is located below, but at just around 67 total calories and 6 carbs a piece I think everyone can feel good about eating a few of these.

Lower-Carb Masa Dough:

Ingredients
(2) 14 oz. Cans Organic Baby Corn
1/2 c. Masa Harina or "Maseca"
2 Tbl. Organic Non-Hydrogentated Leaf Lard, Melted (or saved bacon grease)
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Ancho Chile Powder
1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

Directions:

Drain corn. This round I left them whole, next time I think I'll rough chop them to create more volume in the mixer, it was a little difficult to get it all pureed in my processor.



In food processor, process corn until smooth. Add melted lard and buzz again.


Then scrape corn into a mixing bowl, with a spoon, mix in flour as well as spices. Don't overwork the dough.

Refrigerate masa until ready for use, wrapped in plastic wrap.


Meat Filling:

Directions:

Please see my Pork Green Chile recipe for delicious shredded pork.
Once the meat is finished it will easily pull apart with a fork.


Soften Corn Husks:

Corn husks are easy to find in the Mexican section of your grocery store, I got mine at Walmart.


The corn husks are softened in hot water, give them about 30 minutes submerged in hot water to fully soften.


I placed mine in a large stock pot over medium heat and then put my steamer basket over them to weight them down, it worked perfectly.


Ancho Chile Sauce:

You can make tamales with either Green or Red sauce, I enjoy both immensely, but not having any roasted hatch chilies on hand I decided to go with the ancho chile sauce.

Ingredients:

3-4 Dried Ancho Chile Peppers
Water
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Ground Allspice
1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp Mexican oregano
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Achiote paste (found in the hispanic aisle of grocery stores)
1 tsp. Black Pepper
2 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Ancho Chile powder

1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

Remove stem and seeds from peppers. You'll want to reserve some of the seeds to add back in for more heat if its not spicy enough. Mine had a nice heat level so I didn't end up using any additional seeds, but I also did completely clean out every seed from the peppers.



Place peppers in small saucepan and cover with water.
Bring to boil and then remove from heat. Let sit 15 minutes. Do not boil for more than a minute or so, it will create a bitter sauce, just barely bring to a boil and then shut off the heat.


Add softened peppers, spices and 1 to 2 cups of soaking water to blender and process until smooth.


Pour sauce back into saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick but not gloopy, your looking for the consistency of BBQ sauce, if too thick add more of the chile water.

Remove from heat and whisk in olive oil. You'll likely have extra sauce, I did, so I placed it in a mason jar for use with other recipes. Just keep it in the fridge and it will stay for weeks.

Pour sauce over cooked and shredded pork. Mix thoroughly.


Assembly & Steaming:

Remove corn husks from water, I placed them in the empty steamer basket with a paper towel on the bottom to collect the water.

Spread the masa in the bottom right hand corner of the husk about 2/3 from the edge on the left hand side, and about 2/3 up the length of the husk.


 Fill with meat, using about a tablespoon or two in the center of the masa dough.


Roll the tamale up on one side and then the other to close the tamale and then wrap the empty end of the husk up under it.

Place in steamer basket end on end packed tightly.


 Steam for 45 minutes or pressure cooker for 15 minutes.


Take out of the steamer and allow them to cool before eating, as the masa dough will set completely as it cools.


The ancho chile sauce has a sweet, smoky heat to it, the kind of heat the builds in the back of the throat but never reaches the tip of the tongue so its perfect for both heat lovers and those who hate spicy foods.


Nutritional data based on all ingredients:

This recipe was adapted from

Colorado Style Pork Green Chile

Colorado Style Pork Green Chile

Makes: 3 quarts approximately 

I have discovered in my adult life that in rest of the American south west, or the rest of the country for that matter,  the green chile we have available at Mexican restaurants across our state does not exist elsewhere. This is really heartbreaking to me, because I believe that the "Colorado style" green chile that is thick and luxurious, spicy and comforting is really the only green chile to eat. New Mexico touts a greet chile made with ample sour tomatillos and is a runny consistency better served on top of a taco then the masterpiece we have available to us.

I typically eat my favorite, Santiago's green chile on a Saturday morning after a late night. I purchase a pint of the 1/2 and 1/2 green chile and it comes with a few fresh flour tortillas for about $4. I eat it like a soup and I feel much, much better after I have slurped it down. Somehow spicy mexican food always seems to do the trick. You may think I am crazy for eating a bowl of green chile for breakfast, but I can assure you its better than any breakfast burrito (which your really only eating for the green chile anyways). It really is delicious anytime of the day.

I have no way of identically replicating the deliciousness of Santiago's green chile, but with some measure of trial and error I found a recipe that I have evolved into my take on green chile. If you don't have a Santiago's around you, then I urge you to make this, and even if you do, its nice to make a recipe and know exactly what you put in it. This recipe will also freeze well, so make up a huge batch to have on hand for a quick meal or as an ingredient in a recipe. 

Ingredients:

2 -3 lbs shredded pork (Recipe below)
4-5 tablespoons lard or bacon grease, divided (All Natural Leaf Lard Here)
1 large finely chopped onion
5 cloves minced garlic
6 tablespoons hasa marina (corn flour) or other flour if paleo
1 can El Pato brand tomato sauce
3 cups fresh or frozen roasted green chilies, diced
1 large roasted tomatillo, coarsely chopped
1 roasted and diced jalapeno (or more depending on the heat of your other chiles)
12 cups broth or water
1 tablespoon ground cumin (or to taste)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

Shredded Pork:
I typically buy an enormous pork butt and cook it in the slow cooker to use in a variety of recipes from BBQ to mexican. For this recipe I am going to cut my pork butt in half and use it for my chile, and the other half for homemade tamales (recipe to come!)

Season the pork with salt and pepper well on all sides. 

Use lard to brown the pork. (All Natural Leaf Lard) You'll need 2-3 tablespoons.  


Coat the pork with the melted lard. Once the pork is nearly browned, add the masa and coat the pork and brown them both together. The masa will soak up the oil and thicken the mixture. Add water until it fills to 2/3 of pork shoulder and cook on low in crock-pot or 300 degrees in a large dutch oven for 6-8 hours. 

Place a sliced onion and a few whole garlic cloves in the pot to enhance flavor. It should be fall apart tender and moist when finished. 

Make sure that the liquid doesn't dry out when cooking and add more liquid if necessary. Discard onion and garlic cloves. Cool meat enough to handle and shred. Leave aside. 


Green Chile:

Roast all of your chiles, jalapenos and tomatillos over an open flame. I purchase hatch green chiles from a roaster on the side of the road, but I understand if that is not available to you. I buy a bushel and store in freezer bags for use all year long, it is wonderful. Please do not purchase canned green chiles, or your stew will be gross, they sell frozen roasted chiles in most grocery stores, and when in season you can buy fresh hatch, poblano or anaheim chiles at the grocery store and roast yourself over the BBQ grill or gas stove. Remove skins and chop.


In the same pot that the pork was cooked in, reserve the cooking liquid, melt the remaining lard or bacon grease. Add the onions and garlic; sauté until tender but not brown. 

Add reserved cooking liquid and any additional broth or water.
Cook and stir until mixture comes to boil and is slightly thickened to a medium consistency. Add 1-2 more tablespoons masa harina if needed to gain that gravy like consistency. 
Add tomato sauce, chopped tomatillo, all of the green chilies and jalapeño.

Add the spices a little at a time until you get the taste you like, bringing to a simmer before each addition.
Simmer for at least 2 hours (longer if you can afford the time), stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

After the chile has cooked for at least an hour use a stick immersion blender to break up the green chilies a little bit and create a smooth stew, then add the shredded pork. The lower and slower and longer you can simmer this chile the better it will turn out. I would imagine that Mexican restaurants keep a large pot of this stuff simmer eternally.


I usually eat this style green chile with a few warm flour tortillas as a soup, and it is amazing any time of the day, but is also great for smothered burritos.

Yummy!

Smoked Sausage and Rice Skillet

Sausage and Rice Skillet

Serves: 6

This dish is smoky, and comforting, not to mention super easy and quick to make and has no processed crap in it!

I use rice that has already been cooked for this recipe, some times when I make rice I will make double to use later in the week in other recipes. You can use brown or white rice in this recipe both would taste great, I used some leftover white rice this time, but I usually use brown rice because I like the texture it adds.

I also use peas in this recipe because I LOVE peas and we eat them all the time. Other veggies that would be delicious would be broccoli, green beans or carrots, and frozen or fresh would be great.

This recipe is a result of wanting to make my spicy sausage pasta (Recipe) and not having anything but sausage from the recipe on hand, and leftover rice. Its kind of like a jambalaya or dirty rice recipe. 

Ingredients:
14 – 16 oz. smoked sausage, I use smoked turkey sausage because it tastes just as good as pork but a fraction of the calories
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup homemade chicken broth (Crockpot Chicken Broth)
1 tsp cornstarch or flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Cut sausage into slices on the bias. Sauté in a large skillet until lightly browned. 

Add onion and garlic to skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until tender. Stir cornstarch and chicken broth and add to skillet, scraping to loosen browned bits from bottom of the pan.

Add the spices, rice, and frozen peas. Bring to a boil. When sauce starts to thicken turn off the heat and put lid on for 5 minutes.



My husband and I ate this in a bowl by itself but it would also be great with a salad. ENJOY!

Crunchy Honey Soy-Glazed Pork Chop

Crunchy Honey Soy-Glazed Pork Chop
Serves: 4


Everyone knows how to make a breaded and fried pork chop, this is nothing new to me, I make pork chops occasionally, the interesting thing about this recipe is the sauce/glaze that the fried pork chop is coated in after cooking. I found the idea on Pinterest and adjusted the glaze to suit my own tastes.



Ingredients:

4 Boneless Pork Sirloin Chops
Buttermilk for breading





Breading:



1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions:

Toss pork chop flour and spices mixture, then in buttermilk, and then in flour mixture again





Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of olive oil covering the bottom. You will want to  regulate the temperature here so that the chops do not brown too quickly on the outside before they are fully cooked on the inside. I find just below medium heat works well. Fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. I placed mine in a warm oven on a rack (200 degrees) after frying to keep them warm and crispy.




 When you are finished cooking all the chops, dip the cooked chops into the Honey Soy Sauce (recipe below).





Honey Garlic Sauce:

2-3 whole smashed garlic cloves
1 cup honey
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes,  watching carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot and create a huge mess.

The sauce will thicken as it cools, so make sure that you are using warm sauce to coat easily.



Serve with your favorite sides, it is sweet, salty and a bit spicy, but mostly, it is delicious!