Emily's (Soon-To-Be) Famous Veggie Stuffed Peppers

I wanted chile rellenos, but they’re typically breaded, fried, stuffed with tons of cheese and meat, and most conveniently available at the nearest Mexican restaurant. I wanted something homemade, relatively healthy and vegetarian but still protein packed, and I knew there had to be a better way to some yummy stuffed peppers, so I set out in my usual manner—scouring the internet for recipes, combining several of those with my own “whimsical” culinary know-how, and hoping for the best!

In the autumn I perfected a comfort food that reminded me of a dish my mom used to make. The original dish was a beef and rice stuffed acorn squash, but I turned it into a black bean, roasted corn and quinoa stuffed version. This chile relleno-like stuffed pepper recipe is something of a summery adaptation of that recipe, and, I must say, it turned out pretty awesomely. This dish could also easily go vegan; just omit (or replace with vegan alternatives) the cheese and Greek yog.

Ingredients

2 ears of corn, still in husk

Olive oil

Half of a red onion, diced

About a cup of mushrooms (optional)

Clove or two of minced garlic

Red wine vinegar

Liberal spoonful of cumin

1 cup of your favorite broth

½ cup white quinoa

Can of black beans

2-4 poblano peppers

Cilantro

Shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack)

Tomatoes

Lime

Greek yogurt

S&P

-Roast corn in the husk on 350 for about 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

-Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions mushrooms and sauté until shrooms are tender and onions are translucent, then add garlic and sauté lightly. Add black beans.

-Mix in cumin, two small splashes of red wine vinegar and salt & pepper to taste. Scrape corn kernels into black beans, but save some corn for a side salad. Corn is great in salads!

-Bring a cup of broth to a boil and add slightly less than ½ cup of quinoa. Boil for a minute, then cover and simmer 15-20 minutes.

-Place poblanos under broiler and char evenly all over, about 15 minutes. Move the oven shelf close to the top broiler to get a reasonable char.

-When quinoa is cooked, add it to the black bean corn mixture. Add a bunch of cilantro.

-Split the charred peppers open with a large slit, (but don’t cut in half), then scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Place peppers in a shallow baking dish and put a little cheese in the bottom each pepper. Stuff each split pepper with lots of the black bean and corn mix, making it overflow with black bean quinoa corn goodness, and top with more cheese.

-Place back under broiler to melt and char the cheese.

-Make a quick salsa with diced tomatoes, a little diced onion, cilantro and lime juice. Put on top of cooked, stuffed peppers.

-If you like sour cream, take plain Greek yogurt (which tastes the same but is more nutritious and protein rich) and scoop some into the corner of a plastic zip top bag. Cut a teeny tiny bit of the bag’s corner off so it’s like a pastry bag and make an ornate squiggle of Greek yog over your pepper. If you’re serving people who think Greek yogurt doesn’t belong on a stuffed pepper, just tell them it’s sour cream. They won’t know the difference.

-Serve with a colorful side salad topped with corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and/or whatever pretty veggies you have lying about. Shake up a lime vinaigrette using lime juice, olive oil, a little honey, maybe some hot sauce (I used an aji amarillo paste) and S&P, all to taste.

-Take a picture and then enjoy your scrumptious meal with a Mexican beer! Ole!