Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Chile Peppers)

Oh my Mexican goodness these were yum! To be more specific about the title of this recipe, these were Anasazi bean and rice stuffed poblano peppers. Honestly, I just went with the easy translation as I was having trouble figuring out how to "properly" translate that longer title (I don't know that I did this one correctly either), so Stuffed Chile Peppers is what you get!

Anyways, thankfully, we were able to get these bad boys made before our oven decided to go kaput. Looks like the maintenance people are going to try to come down and replace the heating element in the bottom of our oven today (he said he thought he had an element in the shop), but at the very least, we know that so long as someone is there to keep an eye on it, we can use the stovetop without fear of the place burning down. So at least we will be able to eat, but how I love my oven! Let's just say some of my excitement about the arrival of sweet potatoes at the farmer's market has been stymied by the recent "kitchen events".

But anyways, enough of that, onto the stuffed peppers! These were awesome and super easy to make. I was a little tentative about trying them as Brett has never really been a fan of peppers unless they are over done. He likes the flavor of peppers; I think it is something about their texture. However, he loved these and is actually coming around to the texture of peppers. He said the other day, when we were eating some of the salsa I canned last weekend (that lasted long, eh?) that he actually liked some of the still crisp onions and peppers, wahoo!

Just a reminder of the produce legend:
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden

So check out these bad boys:















A picture of my plate of yummy peppers. I topped these with a little picante sauce.















Here is a picture of Brett's plate. I topped his with a little "Mexican blend" cheese.















A nice little close-up.

Chiles Rellenos
6 poblano peppers, washed and halved, veins and seeds removed *

Filling:
1 cup of Anasazi beans, cooked
1/2 cup long grain brown rice, cooked
1 cup of white button mushrooms, minced
1 yellow summer squash, minced ***
2 tomatoes, chopped ***
1 bell pepper, seeded and minced ***
1 Black Hungarian pepper, seeded and minced *
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced ***
1/2 yellow onion, minced *
4 cloves of garlic, minced *
small (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
juice of one lime
chili powder
ground coriander
cumin
black pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a medium skillet. Add the mushrooms, squash, tomatoes, peppers, onion and garlic and cook for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are soft. Drain any excess liquid.

Add the beans, rice, tomato sauce, lime juice, and spices and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Stuff filling into the chiles and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

We will be having these again very soon.

'Til next time!

Roasted Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

This meal was simple and really tasty. However, my preferred method for cooking potatoes is to roast them. Let's just say, the fact that it's summer, and that we are partaking in Crunchy Chicken's Keep Yer Cool Challenge, that it got a little warm in the apartment. Luckily, Brett is the master of "air flow", and was able to use fans to suck that hot air right out of the apartment. I love you Brett, you rock! If it wasn't for you, well, I would have probably lost my appetite due to the heat. :-)















Roasted Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas
5-6 small Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
chili powder
cumin
Mexican oregano
paprika
ground coriander
black pepper
salt

1 cup black beans, cooked
2 purple Hungarian peppers, seeded and minced (serrano or jalapeno would work as well)
1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 yellow onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 yellow squash, diced
chili powder
ground coriander
cumin
salt

tortillas

Preheat oven to 425.

Season cubed potatoes with the above listed seasonings. Cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes, until potatoes tender, stirring a couple of times through cooking.

Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of water in a small skillet. Add the peppers and onion and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.

Combine all the filling ingredients except the potatoes in a bowl and season to taste.

Layer roasted potatoes and veggie mixture in a warmed tortilla. Fry if desired.

Really tasty, really easy, and also healthy. What can beat that?

I hope to get the next post in the Sustainable Local Diet Series up before my Garden Update on Sunday. There are only two pieces left, the next will be on how to save money eating a local and sustainable diet, and the final piece will be a brief introduction to small space gardening.

'Til next time!