Stuffed Poblano Chiles

I love stuffed foods: cabbage, bell peppers, jalapenos, winter squashes, eggplant and last night these poblano peppers. The thing about poblano peppers are they aren't hot. There really isn't any heat to them, which makes them a wonderful item to stuff. I have a few other recipes for Stuffed Poblano on the blog but they all have faux meat/cheese in them. You can use the search on the right if you'd like to see those recipes. Before you start assembling the peppers, get your steamer basket going with a lid.

• 2 large fresh poblano chile peppers
• 1 cup prepared yellow rice (I used Zataran's prepared according to package directions)
• 3/4 cup pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 scallion, sliced
• chopped cilantro, I used about 1/4 cup (use however much you want)

Split the peppers across the top (not all the way through) and down the center, making a T. Carefully remove the seeds and membranes. Rinse with water to get all those seeds out.

In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Stir well. 

Stuff the peppers with the mixture. Be careful not to break the peppers in half.

Place the peppers in the hot steamer basket and cover. Steam for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.

Gently remove from steamer and plate.

I served the extra rice on the side and used Brand New Vegan's Cheese Sauce that I made last week and some more salsa to garnish the peppers. 

These were awesome!!! I will definitely be making these again. Enjoy!!!

Cabbage & Onions (WFPBNO)

This was a yummy cabbage, onion and homemade Italian sausage dish. Serves about 4 adults. I really love cabbage and this was a change of pace to my normal sauteed cabbage. I love yellow mustard on cabbage; if you haven't tried it before - give it a try.

• 6-7 cups green cabbage, sliced real thin
• 2 Italian sausages, sliced (I made these a few days prior)
• 1 sweet onion, large dice
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 small red jalapenos, sliced (my plant has almost stopped producing, so the peppers are small)
• 4-5 grinds black pepper
• 4-5 fingerling potatoes, roasted, sliced (optional)

Preheat a large skillet and saute the onion in a bit of water until translucent. Add water as  needed.

Add chili pepper and caraway seeds. Continue cooking until onion starts to brown. Add water as needed.

Stir in cabbage and cook until cabbage starts to wilt.

Sprinkle with spices (paprika, onion power and nutritional yeast). Stir well. 

Add the sausages and stir. Continue to cook and add water if needed to keep from sticking. You want the sausages to get heated through and the cabbage to have a little color.

I had some already cooked fingerling potatoes. I sliced them and heated them in the microwave, as a side.

Serve the cabbage with a side of fingerlings.

I love cabbage smothered in yellow mustard. Ummmm.

Enjoy!!!

Spicy Thai Peanut Soup

This is a delightful soup with peanut butter, be sure the only ingredient is peanuts, flavorful ginger and curry paste. I served this with vegetable eggrolls on the side (no eggs were in the ingredients). This is  a wonderful Soup.

• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) package silken tofu
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter, (I had chunky)
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 3 drops lemongrass essential oil
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) container baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 can bamboo shoots, drained
• 3/4 cup coconut milk (in a can)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• Noodles (I used Millet & Brown Rice Ramen from Lotus Foods) I cooked 2 blocks

Dry your tofu, be careful it breaks easy. Slice into small cubes and sprinkle with garlic powder. Place in refrigerator.

In a large bowl, whisk the bouillon, lime juice, lime zest and peanut butter. Set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat a few tablespoons of water and saute the scallions, ginger and lemongrass oil. Don't let this burn, add more water if needed. You just want the veggies to soften.

Add the red curry paste and soy sauce. Cook for a minute.

Add the carrots and mushrooms. Add the lid. Cook for 5-6 minutes, the mushrooms will release their liquid, stirring occasionally.

Add the coconut milk, bay leaves, thyme and stir. 

Add the vegetable broth mixture that you set aside earlier. Add tofu from the frig and the bamboo shoots. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

While the soup simmers cook your noodles according to the package directions. Once ready, drain.

Add a serving of noodles to a bowl and ladle the soup over the noodles. 

You can garnish with peanuts, hot sauce, cilantro, whatever  you feel like.

Note: Store leftovers in separate containers so the noodles don't soak up all that liquid.
Enjoy!!

Black Bean Enchilada Quinoa (WFPBNO)

 This recipe is based on one I saw online somewhere. I gave it a whole foods plant based no oil spin and it was quite tasty. It made enough for about 6 servings. So leftovers are definitely in our future. I love leftovers! I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think. 

• 1 cup diced sweet onion (I used about 1/2 of that large one in the pic)
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup uncooked tri-color quinoa
• 1 can no salt added black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with the juice
• 1 can (15 oz) enchilada sauce **
• Garnishes: tortilla chips, cheese sauce, sliced avocado, salsa, pickled jalapenos

In a large skillet saute onion, bell pepper, garlic and cumin in a couple of tablespoons water. Cook until onion is soft, 3-5 minutes.

Add the quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, and enchilada sauce to the skillet. Stir well; bring mixture to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa is soft. Be sure to stir every 5 minutes or so to keep the quinoa from sticking to the bottom. Most of the liquid should be gone when the quinoa is ready.

Taste and season with more cumin if needed.

Garnish as desired. I served tortilla chips on the side but topped with cheese sauce, sliced avocado, topped with a little salsa and a few pickled jalapenos.

** I made Dr. McDougall's Enchilada Sauce from his Starch Solution Cookbook.

The cheese sauce is from Brand New Vegan's website.