I love tamales, especially the green corn tamales. The texture and flavor of the sweet corn masa gets me every time. Since becoming more aware of the carbs I eat, and trying to minimize them as much as possible, I have discovered roasted cauliflower as a base for a number of dishes including pizza crust and mashed potatoes. Then, it occurred to me. Why not make a tamale masa out of roasted, mashed cauliflower? Well, you know I had to try it and wow, it is fabulous! That's the secret of this tamale pie recipe--roasted cauliflower masa. This recipe makes enough for six. Yum!
Ingredients
- Two medium heads of cauliflower
- 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup fresh finely-grated parmesan cheese
- 1 5-ounce can corn kernels, drained
- 18 ounces chorizo
- One onion, chopped
- 12 ounces of mild, chopped, roasted green chiles (3 4-ounce cans)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (colby and jack mixture works well)
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 400º F.
- Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Clean the leaf stems from the heads of cauliflower and slice heads into 1/2 inch slices.
- Arrange cauliflower slices on the baking sheet.
- Bake cauliflower in oven for 30 minutes or until fork tender. Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, sauté the chorizo in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Remove chorizo from pan leaving as much of the grease in the pan as possible.
- Sauté the chopped onions in the chorizo grease until translucent, about 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350º F.
- Grease a 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray.
- To make the masa, combine the cauliflower, oregano, eggs, corn, and parmesan cheese in a food processor and process for about 30 seconds until well combined. The consistency should be like a paste.
- Using a spatula, spread the cauliflower mixture evenly in the baking dish.
- Mix the onions, chorizo, and green chiles and spread evenly over the cauliflower mixture.
- Evenly distribute the shredded cheese over the top of the mixture in the baking dish.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown and is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes. Slice into squares and serve!
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