Tamales with Black Bean and Avocado Salsa

I made this a while back but have been lazy to write it all down! I have wanted to make Tamales for a long time. The first time I tried them was in a small Mexican restaurant. It is definitely time consuming but so worth it. However breaking it down and cooking it on different days is always a good idea. 

I researched what is accompanied with it and came up with black bean salad, avocado and tomato salsa. I combined it all into one and came up with a black bean and avocado salsa (laziness or sometimes accident thy name is invention).

So here's what I did:

For the filling:

Ground meat (I did turkey but hey take your pick)

Onion, garlic, taco seasoning (make your own -totally worth it... Recipe? Google it folks!) and mushrooms well coz I had some in the fridge

To make it: sauté onion, add garlic and cook until fragrant, add meat + taco seasoning and if it is too dry a little water. Cook until the water is dried. Add mushroom and cook until all the liquid dries up. Add salt to taste. It's simple but totally worth it. You can even eat it as a taco. 

For the masa dough and tamales: Here is a blog that has recipe with pictures - 

 http://www.hispanickitchen.com/m/blogpost?id=3365338:BlogPost:70594

What I did differently? I skipped the sauce she mentions and added equal parts water + masa and added the taco seasoning + cumin+ cayenne. 

For the Salsa:

Ingredients: 1 can black bean (rinsed and drained), tomatoes, avocado, tiny bit garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper and pomegranate seeds (coz I needed something sweet and I had some :D)

How to make: mix all together in a bowl. Really! As simple as that!