Cheesy Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I had an abundance of Poblano peppers this summer.  Most of them were fire-roasted and made into salsa.  I like chiles rellenos, but they seem more like an appetizer than an entree.  I was talking to a friend at work about it one night and she told me her mom stuffs the peppers with potatoes and ground meat.  Sounded like an entree to me!  This is what came out.

Here's what you'll need:
6 large poblano peppers
1 TBSP olive oil (or bacon grease)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled & cut into small dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Ancho chile powder
2 c shredded cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese

Lightly roast the peppers over a burner or grill, just until a little charred.  Remove from heat.

Use a sharp knife to cut off the stem end and remove the seeds from each pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet.  Add the ground meat and the onion.  Cook until the meat is browned and the onion softens.

Add the garlic, potatoes and seasonings.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until the potatoes begin to soften.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Stir in the cheese.  Spread a shallow layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.  Use the remaining meat mixture to fill the peppers. Arrange the peppers in the dish.  Lay the remaining tops around the peppers.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are fork-tender and the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.  Serve with sour cream.

Enjoy!

BBQ Tacos with Roasted Pepper Relish

These tacos are an homage to some we had this past weekend at my brother-in-laws house.  Smoky BBQ chicken with sweet grilled pineapple is an amazing combination.  The sweet balances the salty smoke for a taste bud explosion.

Here's what you'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/2 c BBQ sauce (I used mesquite smoked)
1/2 fresh pineapple
1 red bell pepper
1 c corn (I used left-over)
1/2 c chopped tomatoes
1/4 c cilantro leaves
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
flour tortillas, to serve
shredded cheddar, to serve
sour cream, to serve

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Cook on a hot grill 3-4 minutes, until it easily releases from the grate.  Turn over and spread with half of the BBQ sauce.   Cook 3-4 minutes on opposite side (depending on size) or until juices run clear.  Spread with remaining BBQ sauce.  Flip once more, and cook just long enough to caramelize the BBQ sauce.

Remove to a plate.  Cover with foil and set aside.  Thinly slice the chicken.

Cut the pineapple into 6-8 spears.  Arrange on a medium-high grill.  Cook just until it easily loosens from the grate.

Turn.  Cook 2-3 minutes more.  You still want the pineapple to be firm, but have a smoky taste.

Remove and coarsely chop.  Set aside.

Place the whole bell pepper on the grill.  When it begins to blister, turn it over.  When the whole pepper has blistered, remove to a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 5 minutes.

With hands or a paper towel, remove most of the charred bits and the seeds from the pepper.

Coarsely chop the pepper.

Now, assemble the relish.

Combine the corn, pepper, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir well.

To serve, spread a warm tortilla with sour cream.  Top with cheese, chicken, pineapple and relish.

Serves 3-4.

Enjoy!

Roast Redo: Easy Beef Enchiladas

It's pretty hard to find a beef roast that's just the right size for two people.  That means we usually have some leftover, but it's never enough to plan a whole meal around. This was my quandary yesterday when I found some leftover Double Caffeinated Roast in the fridge from an early blog.  I found some cheese and some tortillas and this meal was born.

Here's what you'll need:
leftover beef roast (I had about 8 ounces)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c chunky salsa, plus more to serve
2 c shredded cheese (I used cheddar and monterey jack)
1/2 c sour cream, plus more to serve
flour tortillas (I used soft taco size)

Place the beef in a small pot.  Add enough water to come about halfway up the meat.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer.  Cover and allow the meat to braise until it is fork tender.

Remove the meat from the pan; save the juice.

Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Stir the 1/2 c salsa into the meat mixture.  Don't add too much juice or the tortillas will be soggy.  You mostly want the veggies.

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare your rolling station.

Place some of the meat mixture and some of the cheese into a tortilla.

Roll up so the meat and cheese are enclosed in the tortilla.  Place, seam-side down, in a greased casserole dish.  Repeat til your out of the meat mixture.  Set aside.

Stir 1/2 c sour cream into the meat juices in the small pot.  Do not boil.  They just need mixed together.

Pour the sauce over the enchiladas.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Enjoy!