the pollen count

The last of the peppers I just harvested were Poblanos, also my very favorite! I decided to stuff them with a savory quinoa, black bean, corn and tomato mixture and top with a tomatillo guacamole, since I also picked a big bowlful of tomatillos last week. Yes, picking peppers, tomatoes and tomatillos in November has become the norm here in the California foothills as our weather just gets warmer and stays warmer way into fall. Crazy!

I thought this would be a nice prelude to the upcoming holiday feasting which begins in a few days😬. I made these vegan and sprinkled Follow Your Heart Fiesta Blend Cheese Shreds on top, but you can use regular grated cheddar if you choose.

I had a few beautiful big bell peppers, too, so I stuffed those along with the poblanos. They were delicious, too, but not quite as yummy as those just-spicy-enough poblanos. 

RECIPE for STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS (serves 6 –  8)

Ingredients:

• 5 or 6 medium to large poblano peppers ( mine were fairly small so I used more)
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes( juices drained) or 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
• 1/2 cup salsa (your favorite) – I like Salsa Verde
• 2 tsp cumin.
• 1 tsp smoked chipotle chili powder ( or regular chili powder)
• salt & pepper

TOPPING:

• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 avocado, mashed
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 2-3 fresh tomatillos, peeled & finely chopped

Mixed all the above ingredients, EXCEPT the cilantro in a small bowl and set aside. Wash and chop,the cilantro and place in separate bowl for garnishing.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil 1 1/4 cup water, add the quinoa, cover and turn to very low heat. Cook for about 14 minutes until quinoa is tender and all the water is absorbed. Set aside.
2. Peel and dice the sweet potato and cook in a steamer or a small pot with boiling water until tender, about 10-15 minutes. You could also microwave it, then peel and dice it when it cools off.
3. Chop the onion, mince the garlic and dice the tomatoes if using fresh ones. Add these all to a large bowl.
   

   
4. Add can of drained black beans, the tomatoes, corn, sweet potato and salsa. Mix well. Add the cooked quinoa and mix it in.
   

   
5. Add spices and salt and pepper to taste. Add more
7. chili powder if you like it hot.
8.  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the seeds and cut out any white membrane.
9. Lightly oil an 11 x 9 inch casserole dish and place the cut peppers face up.  Fill each half with the filling, mounding it up so there is as much filling in each half as you can get in there!
10. Top with some grated vegan cheese or regular cheese and cover the entire pan with a sheet of foil.
11. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on size of your peppers. After 30 minutes, remove foil and top with cheese, if using. Put back in oven without the foil and cooked until cheese melts.
12. When the peppers are tender but not so soft they fall apart, remove from oven.
13. Serve with the cilantro garnish and top with the guacamole mixture. You can also top with sour cream, if you are not vegan.

The poblano peppers really take it to the next level from just a stuffed bell pepper. They have a spicy, smokey flavor that is addicting😋.  Serve with a big green salad and you have a healthy, hearty meal to start off the holiday season!