First, I just want to say that the recipe I'm about to present to you is freakin' D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S !
When my palate calls for something, I try to give it what it wants, and I am happy to declare this endeavor a success. I hope ya'll think so too.
Second, although this recipe isn't vegan, it easily could be. Just leave out the cheese and replace it with more of the other fillings and you'll be good to go. I'm confident that it will be just as delicious as the original recipe.
It is slightly more labor intensive, however, so if you're looking to try this one out, I recommend dedicating a leisurely evening to it.
All right, let's get to it!
What You'll Need
-As many poblano peppers as you have people!
-8 oz. monterey jack cheese
For the cheese filling:
-8 oz. (1 block) of neufchatel cheese (this is basically the lowfat version of cream cheese and can be found in the same section of the grocery store)
-1 cup of ricotta cheese (whole fat or skim, whichever you prefer)
-1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp. paprika
-2 tsp. chili powder
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-a pinch of salt
-15 oz. can of black beans
-15 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes (with or without green chilies)
For The Sauce:
-1/2 cup of olive oil
-2 tbsp. corn flour
-1/4 cup chili powder
-8 oz. can of tomato sauce
-1 1/2 cup water
-1/4 tsp. ground cumin
-1/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 tsp. onion powder
Salt to taste
Ready?
First, set your oven to
broil and preheat it to 400 degrees.
Lay your poblano peppers out on a cookie sheet and cut a small slit in each pepper just to prevent explosions (I'm not sure if exploding peppers is actually a possibility, but I always like to err on the side of caution!).
Set your oven rack toward the top of the oven and put the peppers in. Cook them for about 10 minutes or until the skin starts to bubble. Then flip them over and let the other side cook.
When they're done, they should look about like this:
While the peppers are cooking, mix up your neufchatel and ricotta cheese filling in a bowl and scoop it into a zip lock bag with the tip cut off. Then, leave it out while you prepare the rest of the ingredients so that it's not too cold and stiff to pipe.
Now, time to make the sauce!
Put your olive oil into a large sauce pan and heat it over medium heat. Once it's hot, add in your chili powder and corn flour and stir constantly until it's cooked (the chili powder will start to look brown instead of red). Then, add in your cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, tomato sauce, and water. Cook this over medium heat until the sauce is thicker (about 10 minutes).
Now that everything is ready to be assembled, pull your peppers out of the oven and set the oven to
bake at 400 degrees, and transfer your peppers to a casserole dish.
Starting with your original slit, make a T incision in the peppers so that you can scoop out all of the seeds. I very much recommend either wearing gloves for this part or using a spoon (otherwise subconscious actions like rubbing your eyes can turn into a very uncomfortable choice). The seeds of a pepper house most of the spice, so if you don't want much of a burn, make sure to get all of the seeds out. If, on the other hand, you want to sweat a little, by all means leave some of them in.
Next, pipe in your cheese mixture. If you're not at all adept at piping, you're definitely welcome to spread it in with a knife or a spoon. It doesn't matter what it looks like - it will still taste just as good!
Spoon in your black beans and tomatoes.
Close the sides of your peppers as best as you can (if you stuff them as much as I did, they won't close completely, and that's just fine) and spoon about half of your sauce over the top.
Finally, grate some monterey jack cheese over the top and put it in the oven to bake until the cheese is melted and slightly browned (about 20 minutes).
When they're done, they should look like this!
I served each pepper with a side of corn tortillas, extra sauce, vegetarian refried beans, and my leftover black beans and tomatoes with sauteed green pepper thrown in for good measure.
May you whole-heartedly enjoy the product of my whim, and may you leave your plate with a happy stomach and clear sinuses!
=o)
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