Soy Chorizo Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I have always wanted to try cooking with Poblano peppers. I should mention that I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy food so the thought of a pepper that I could handle (aside from bell peppers) was intriguing. I tried them once in a Mexican restaurant with Joe and it was love at first sight. Now, how can I prepare them at home? Since I had them stuffed with rice at the restaurant, I figured stuffing was the way to go.

However, I wanted to place them over rice rather than filling them with it so I had to find a different substance, preferably rich in protein to keep me full for longer. Then it hit me, I had some organic soy chorizo that I bought at Trader Joe's the week before.  As a side note, if you haven't tried soy chorizo yet, you're missing out.  It's just as flavorful and versatile as the real stuff, minus all the fat.

Since I love veggies, I wanted to add some carrots and celery that I had to use before they went bad. Lastly.. black beans. I almost always add beans to a Spanish type dish. Since I wanted to melt some cheese on top, I wanted to place the stuffed peppers in the oven, but didn't want them to burn which gave me the idea to use some diced tomatoes on the bottom as a base.  

The aroma in the kitchen was overwhelmingly delicious! I was probably checking on them every 10 minutes because I couldn't wait for them to be done. Finally they were! And the result? Success! They came out looking beautiful and they tasted just as great. The zesty chorizo along with the mild pepper make the perfect combination.  Please comment below to let me know how you cook with poblano peppers!

Ingredients

·         6 poblano peppers

·         1chopped onion

·         1 chopped carrot

·         2 stalks of chopped celery

·         2 cloves of garlic, minced

·         1 12 oz. package of soy chorizo

·         1 15 oz. can of black beans

·         1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)

·         Coconut oil (or any other oil for sautéing)

·         1 tsp paprika (because I'm Polish)

·         1 tsp chili powder

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         1/4 cup chopped cilantro

·         Shredded cheese (Any kind you like and however much your heart desires. I only had sliced cheese on hand so that is what I used)

Instructions

1. Add some oil to the pan* on high heat. After it's hot, add chopped onion and sauté for about 3 minutes.

2. Add chopped carrots, celery and garlic** and sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Once tender, add the soy chorizo, black beans and seasoning.

3. While the mixture is cooking on low heat, cut the top off the poblano peppers , then core and seed the peppers.

4. Move the mixture to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

5. Once the mixture has cooled, begin stuffing peppers, along with some shredded cheese. I used toothpicks to secure the top and body of pepper together.

6. Once the peppers are stuffed, add diced tomatoes to the pan and place stuffed peppers on top. Sprinkle with cilantro and shredded cheese. Move the pan to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes.

7. Serve over rice.

*Use an oven-safe pan. If you don't have one, you can always use two different pots/dishes, one for sautéing on the stovetop and one for baking in the oven.

**Let your garlic sit for a few minutes after smashing and mincing so that flavors are released. This also helps enhance the health-promoting properties of garlic.

Save Your Ginger

I love ginger. Love it. However, just the thought of peeling it makes me grab the powdered version. Or, ..mincing it -eek! No thank you. Too much work for even me. I often cook Asian dishes and most of them call for fresh ginger so I always try to keep some on hand. Then, of course, I get a bit lazy and don't end up using it and it goes bad. I hate to waste. But as frustrating as this endless cycle seemed, I could never think of a solution. 

A few weeks ago, my sister was visiting and we decided to make a veggie teriyaki bowl so I pulled out my ginger from my fridge drawer along with the other ingredients we were planning on using. Engulfed in conversations and with a glass of wine, I didn't pay much attention as my sister grabbed my grater and proceeded to grate the piece of ginger, with skin and all! I almost chocked on my wine. Where did this idea come from and where has it been my whole life? 

Yes, grating ginger is a thing. And, wait for it, it gets better, you can freeze it too! Say good-bye to old and stale ginger. In fact, freezing it helps make grating easier. Now I always keep my piece in a freezer bag and simply grate an inch or so whenever I need it for cooking. 

Does anyone else know about this easy trick? Please comment to share your tips! :)

Spaghetti & Bean Balls

I'm pretty sure we all have those "I'm craving spaghetti" moments. You boil your pasta, make your tomato sauce (or open a jar of it) and ...yum? Something is missing.. Ah yes, the meatballs! But since I rather skip the meat, I decided to take to Pinterest for some other ideas. There had to be some alternatives. And of course, there were! Some posts used quinoa and others used beans and since I had some cans of beans on hand, I figured I'd try that recipe. So although bean "meat"balls are a genius idea, I am not the genius behind them. This recipe is adapted from Cookin' Canuck's blog.

The final test was having my meat-loving fiance take a bite. Success! His exact words were "wow, they're actually really good".  Not only were they delicious, but they also had the same fulfilling qualities of meat that left me satisfied for hours.

I made sure to use whole-wheat organic pasta from Trader Joe's, which unlike white pasta that is full of empty calories, has plenty of fiber and protein. Also, my general rule of thumb is that if you can't pronounce the ingredients, you shouldn't be eating them.

Ingredients of Trader Joe's whole-wheat spaghetti: Organic Durum Whole Wheat

Ingredients of generic white spaghetti: Semolina, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate (Iron), Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid,

Ingredients

·         2 cans of white kidney beans (also known as cannellini beans)

·         One whole roasted red bell pepper

·         1 onion (I used sweet since I didn't have yellow on hand)

·         2 cloves of garlic

·         1/4 cup fresh parsley

·         2 tsp Sicilian dry seasoning (or any Italian)  

·         1 tsp salt

·         1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

·         1 egg

·         3/4 cups dried breadcrumbs

·         A jar of your favorite sauce (I usually like to make my own, but I also keep a jar on hand for those lazy days)

·         Cooked Spaghetti

·         Fresh Parmesan cheese for grating

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine beans and roasted red peppers in a food processor and blend until pureed.

3. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add in chopped onion, garlic, parsley (leave some for garnish at the end), seasoning, salt, pepper, egg and breadcrumbs. Stir till the mixture is evenly combined.

4. Depending on the size of bean ball that you want, roll some of the mixture in between your palms and place on a prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave some space in between the bean balls so that they don't stick together.

5. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the bean balls are firm and golden. While the bean balls are baking, heat your sauce according to instructions.

6. Serve spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley!