Seasonal Feast

Easy Vegetarian Chile Rellenos

Late last month, I was driving home after a soul and belly-nourishing weekend with friends in Stamford, NY when I stopped at a little farm stand outside of Woodstock. The stand had tons of gorgeous, locally grown apples, butternut squash, pumpkins, onions and potatoes, among other things. The glossy, deep green poblano peppers caught my eye. I was surprised to see them – I had thought it was too late in the season for peppers. Poblanos, often called pasillas, are mild chile peppers sold at some supermarkets, specialty food stores, farmers’ markets and Latin markets.

My husband adores chiles rellenos so I thought I would make a healthy, non-fried version for him that week once he returned home from a business trip. I wanted to amp up the protein for the peppers so instead of using a traditional cheese filling, I opted for a filling made with black beans and Morningstar Farm’s “Veggie Crumbles,” a textured protein/soy alternative to ground meat. Crumbles cook up super quick and adapt well to many recipes where you would use ground meat. They take on the flavor of whatever spices you are using in your recipe. My favorite way to use Crumbles is in tacos. If you haven’t tried these yet, I highly recommend them. They’re available in the freezer cases of most supermarkets and health food stores. (Hint: Target sells Crumbles for about $3 a bag in their freezer cases, while grocery stores offer them for about $5 a bag.) The current debate about the health benefits vs. risks of soy has not deterred me from eating Crumbles. My vote: eat soy in moderation.

You will undoubtedly have leftover filling; use it  in quesadillas or stuff more peppers. The prepared and baked peppers freeze well.

4-6 fresh poblano peppers, washed and dried
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion (white, yellow or red), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag Morningstar Farm’s Crumbles (do not defrost)
1 15/16 oz. can organic black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz. can organic fire roasted diced tomatoes and juice – I prefer Muir Glen. If you can’t find Muir Glen, substitute regular diced tomatoes
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 cup frozen roasted corn (do not defrost) – I use Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find frozen roasted corn, substitute kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn, 1 small can of canned corn or 1 cup of regular frozen corn kernels
Up to 3 Tbsp. taco seasoning – I prefer Penzeys Spices’ Bold Taco Seasoning. You can substitute any taco seasoning you find at the grocery store in the spice aisle
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack, pepper jack or Mexican blend cheese
1 cup bottled enchilada sauce – I use Trader Joe’s

For the peppers:

Preheat your broiler on high or if you have a gas stove, turn on 2-3 burners. Under the broiler, place the peppers on the rack. On the stove and using tongs, place the peppers directly on the burners, 2-3 per burner depending on size of burner. For both broiler and burner methods, roast peppers for 3-5 minutes on each side, carefully watching them so they don’t burn. Using tongs, turn them every few minutes to ensure even roasting on each side. You are looking for the peppers to have mostly a black, charred, waxy skin; at this point, they are done. Immediately place peppers in glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, gently remove and discard charred skin. Lay the peppers flat on a surface and gently, with a sharp paring knife, cut a slit down the length of the pepper, being careful not to cut through the bottom of the pepper. You are creating a “boat,” in which you will place the filling. Set prepared peppers aside on a plate or cutting board.

For the filling:

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering (it’s hot enough at this point), add diced onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add Crumbles and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes, until Crumbles begin to soften. Add 2 TBsp. taco seasoning, reserving the last Tbsp. for the end, and stir to coat evenly. Add drained black beans, corn and olives and combine. Add fire roasted diced tomatoes and juices and combine. Cover and cook for about 6-8 minutes, until Crumbles have completely softened and resemble ground meat. Taste and add up to 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning, salt and pepper as necessary. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove mixture from stove and place in bowl to cool for 15 minutes (use this time to clean up or check email).

Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 8×8 glass baking dish. On a cutting board or plate, gently fill peppers with 3-4 Tbsp. filling so they are bursting but not overflowing and are easy for you to move to the baking dish. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 enchilada sauce across the tops of the peppers. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and seal tightly. Bake the peppers for 25-30 minutes, until cheese melts. Remove foil and place under broiler for 3-5 minutes, until cheese browns and is bubbly.

Serve with warmed tortillas and beans. In the photo above, I served a can of Trader Joe’s Cuban black beans alongside the peppers and tortillas. These yummy beans are already seasoned so all they require is a reheat on the stove. (It was a Friday night, I was tired!)