Poblano Tamales

1 cup water

1 Not-Beef boullion cube

1 cup masa (for tamales)

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1 can black beans (drained)

1 ear corn (kernels removed)

1/2 green pepper (diced)

1/2 onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic minced

4-6 poblano peppers

First make the masa dough. Dissolve the boullion cube in the water to make a broth. Whisk the shortening until it's fluffy. Mix the masa and the baking powder in a bowl, and then add the shortening and then the broth. Mix until incorporated, but do not overwork the dough. Add the corn, onion, green pepper, and garlic to the masa dough, and work it in.

Cut off and reserve the top off of each poblano pepper, wash, and pull out the ribs and seeds out of the top and body of the pepper. Spoon masa mixture into each pepper making sure not to leave any air bubbles. Wrap each pepper tightly in foil. Steam for 1 hour. This will cook the dough and soften the pepper. I use a large soup pot and a stainless steel colander as a makeshift steamer. It works perfectly.

Allow the peppers to cool enough to handle, and then and only then, unwrap them. Arrange the peppers in a baking dish and drizzle them with olive oil. Place the dish into a 400-degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until the flesh of the pepper gets some color.

Serve with my enchilada sauce and rice. Top with some chopped avocado, cilantro, sour cream, and a squeeze of lime. It is hearty and delicious. It is simple to veganify it by simply leaving off the sour cream. We also had homemade key-lime margaritas and a wonderful flourless chocolate cake from the awesome book Baked.