COOKING BACON IN A MICROWAVE

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I cook sauteed tofu with fried rice and veggies 3 or 4 nights each week, because it is such a big fave for lunch and dinner. I guess you can say it is a household addiction.

It occurred to me that this would make a great tamale filling, so I modified the cooking process a bit and made tamales based on this favorite meal.

They turned out just heavenly. I truly enjoyed making these as much as I will continue to enjoy eating them.

This is basically what I used/did:

(This is not an actual recipe, just what I recall. Sorry, measurements are not given.)

Masa:
Maseca Masa Harina
Warm Water
A bit of baking powder
Salt & coarse ground black pepper
Corn Oil
Crushed Red Pepper, quite a bit

Filling:
I sliced extra firm tofu into strips, then cut them further. I sauteed just until golden brown. Seasoned with salt, coarse ground black pepper, lime juice, bit of Chardonnay.

Sauteed onions, garlic, and poblanos, along with the jasmine rice. These were sauteed in Canola oil. I use only Corn Oil for the masa, but Canola oil for sauteing rice and veggies.

The broccoli and edamame were steamed (separately) in the microwave, then the broccoli was added to the jasmine rice in the skillet. The edamame was added to the tofu/poblano/onion skillet. Before I added the edamame I stirred it into it hot chili seame oil, salt, coarse ground black pepper, and that's it.

After the rice became tender, I added it to the tofu, poblano, edamame, onion, medley. I added lime juice to both that medley and the rice/broccoli/garlic/onion saute mix.

One of the challenges in making these tamales was saving the filling to used as the filling. I must admit that I ate some, you know, just to make sure that the seasoning blend, texture, etc., were right. I made a total of about 4 dozen.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1 package (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 package (8 oz) toffee bits (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, melted butter and egg until soft dough forms. Spread dough in bottom of a 9x13-inch ungreased pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

2. Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave sweetened condensed milk uncovered on High for 1 minute. Stir in instant coffee until coffee is mostly dissolved; set aside.

3. Sprinkle warm crust with chocolate chips, toffee bits and pecans. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk mixture evenly over pecans.

4. Bake 23 to 27 minutes or until top is golden brown and bubbly in center. Cool completely, about 2 hours. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows. Store covered at room temperature.

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