Stuffed Poblano Peppers
As a nation of entrepreneurs fueled by capitalism, Americans have constantly tried to invent new things or improve older versions of things. Our country has always looked for quicker, easier methods of manufacturing, communicating, farming, dressing, shaving and moving. I mean we invented the Cotton Gin, the Telephone, the Reaping Machine, the Zipper, the Safety Razor, and the Vulcanized Rubber Tire. Yes, if we can make it better in order to improve our way of life, we do it.
But this drive to improve our way of life does not rest solely in machines and appliances. No, we, Americans, can’t leave well enough alone with anything. We even try to improve the food we eat. Now, I am not talking about improvements in food production or regulations to improve food safety. And while all of these are great things, I am talking about taking a simple food and adding to it in order to make it taste better, make it more portable, or make it more fun to eat.
I mean America invented the “Hot Pocket,” an easily portable sandwich filled with molten-like cheese and deli meat. We introduced the “Stuffed Crust Pizza,” a pie with not only cheese on the top but cheese crammed into the crust. We invented loaded “Potato Skins,” otherwise useless remnants of the baked potato topped with cheese and bacon. And we even launched the “Frank-n-Stuff Hotdog,” an American tradition packed with cheese or chili on the inside. Yes, the free market has driven us to improve the sandwich, the pizza, the potato, and the wiener, along with countless others.
So why all the talk about American ingenuity? Well, it is this creative spirit that drove the inspiration for my next carnilicious dish. You see, while I was perusing “The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cook Book” by Dr. Neal Barnard, I had a brainstorm. I read about a veganized recipe for a dish that traditionally is neither vegan nor healthy. Sure the vegan version looked good, but the dish didn’t quite compare to the original. Consequently, I set out to keep the recipe more traditional and still vegan. As a result, I give you my version of CHILI RELLENOS. Hopefully, this recipe will live up to our fore-fathers drive and ambition. And while it is no Cotton Gin or Zipper, it is still pretty damn good.
Ingredients
- 6 Poblano Peppers
- 3 Cups Raw, Unsalted Cashews
- 2 Tbs. Fresh Cilantro (minced)
- 2 Tbs. Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 Tbs. Nutritional Yeast
- ½ Cup Rice Milk
- 2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
- 5 Large Tomatoes (halved)
- 3 oz. Tomato Paste
- 1 Cup Beer
- 2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 Tsp. Onion Powder
- 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp. Dried Oregano
- 1 Tsp. Chili Powder
- 2 Tbs. Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
- Dash or two of Liquid Smoke
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
** First thing you want to do is soak your cashews in enough water to cover overnight in bowl.
An authentic chili relleno is a pepper stuffed with cheese, battered, deep fried, and smothered with red sauce and more cheese. While this combo makes it a potential winning hang-over cure, it certainly is not very healthy. So like all good Americans, let’s tinker with the recipe and make something just as good but better for you. To do this, you will need to fire up your grill or broiler. You want to roast the peppers over an open flame or under a broiler until they get nice and black on all sides. Remove them from the heat and place them in a plastic bag. This step will allow you to easily remove the outer skin of the peppers. Then slice the peppers open, remove the stems, seeds and any of the remaining ribs.
As your peppers roast, drain your cashews and put them in a blender or food processor along with the cilantro, lime juice, yeast, onion and garlic powders, and rice milk. Puree this mix until it is nice and creamy and then adjust the flavor with salt and pepper. Spoon about a ¼ cup of this cheese mix into each one of your peppers. The amount will vary depending on the size of your peppers, but you want to make sure they are good and full. Place the stuffed peppers seam side down in an oven proof baking dish.
Now, preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your tomato halves on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Roast the tomatoes for 25 minutes or until they are nice and brown, black in some spots won’t hurt. Once the tomatoes are done cooking, let them cool and turn your oven down to 375 degrees. Next put your tomatoes (skins and all), tomato paste, beer, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, chili powder, cilantro, and a couple dashes of liquid smoke into a blender or food processor. Blend until the sauce is smooth and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour your sauce over the peppers and bake the entire dish uncovered for 25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Feel free to polish off the remaining beer while you wait.
Notes
Don't let the prep time scare you. The majority of this time is spent soaking your cashews overnight.
Roasted Poblanos
Add the Cheese
Place seam-side Down
Remove the dish from the oven and serve the peppers with a ladle of sauce over polenta or roasted corn kernels. Or serve it over whatever makes sense to you. This is your creation. Use some American ingenuity and come up with something no one has thought of before. Shoot, you might even figure out a way to fit this dish into a portable, edible container. Either way, I promise it will be better than a Hot Pocket or a Frank-N-Stuff Hotdog. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
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