September 28, 2012

Light Stuffed Poblanos

I've made these a few times and I think I've perfected the lightest, yet heartiest, version of Stuffed Poblano Peppers!  It's a great low-carb, gluten-free meal for those of you with those diet restrictions.

Here are the ingredients you'll need:
5-6 Poblano Peppers
1 lb of ground meat of your choice (I prefer turkey, and that's what I use below)
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 can of black beans
1 block/bag of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1/2 onion, chopped (use other half for Guac below!)
Spices (all optional):
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- tsp of chili powder
- tsp of garlic salt
- tsp of chipotle
- tsp of cumin
- 1/2 tsp of Ancho chili powder
- tsp of cilantro (dried or fresh, chopped)
- salt and pepper to taste

Toppings:
Sour Cream
Chunky guacamole:
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tomato, diced
- 1/2 onion, chopped

First, turn your Broiler on high to preheat. 

Next, slice Poblanos in half lengthwise and place on a greased cookie sheet with the skin-side up.  Put in the oven for 10-15 mins until the skins are nice and bubbly and a little charred. They will end up looking something like this:


While the Poblanos are roasting, start browning the turkey meat (you can also use ground beef, chicken, or chorizo).  While the turkey meat is cooking, chop 1/2 an onion and add to the meat. Once the meat has started to brown and onions get soft, go ahead and add your preferred spices.  I have listed the ones I like above.  Also, feel free to add some salt and pepper for taste. Once the meat is all cooked and all pink is gone, it should look like this:



At about the same time your meat is done, your peppers are probably done roasting!  Go ahead and pull them out of the oven.  Then, you want to change your oven settings to bake at 400 degrees. Put the peppers in a Ziploc bag (I had to use several small ones since I was out of my big gallon bags).  This will help the peppers to steam and make the skins much easier to remove!  Let these sit on the counter for about 10 mins, until mostly cooled.







While the peppers are cooling, go ahead and rinse the corn and black beans and add to the turkey:



Mix that around and your filling is pretty much ready!  In the meantime, you can make some chunky guacamole for a topping. Just combine the avocado, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro!  Feel free to add a little salt, pepper, and lime juice for extra flavor.






Once your peppers are mostly cool, pull out of the bags and peel off the skin.  Then, line au gratin pans like below.  You can also put into a small casserole dish if you don't have any small baking dishes like this.  It's much easier than trying to actually stuff the peppers, close with a toothpick, etc.


Then fill with the turkey mixture and top with cheese!





Pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is all melted and little golden on top:






Then, top with sour cream and guacamole!  Enjoy!!


This has quickly become one of my favorite meals - it's actually really light, but very satisfying at the same time!

September 05, 2012

Currently Listening to... Ha Ha Tonka

So, Garrett and I are headed on a road trip to Austin soon.  I'm currently listening to Ha Ha Tonka, and I think this will make the perfect traveling music.  Check out 'Usual Suspects' from their album Death of Decade below...


I'm also excited to see these guys play at The Record Bar in November here in lovely KCMO! Who's coming with me?