STUFFED POBLANO CHILES

We are not big on bell peppers at home, but chiles and especially poblanos chiles make a nice dish if you have leftovers in the fridge. I happened to have some leftover brown rice and barley, some mushrooms, some vegie meat, so I had all kinds of goodies to stuff these babies.

If you look up stuffed poblanos chiles on the web,
you will mostly find recipes and photos of big cheesy gooey messes!
The great news, is that if you are really attached to the cheese texture,
you can still use vegan cheese like Daiya or any other brand that melts nicely.
You can also make your own with nutritional yeast.
I had some extra firm tofu left, so I decided to marinated it and it worked out beautifully.
The dish is now a low fat dish!

PREPARATION:

About handling chiles: A few words of caution.
Eventhough poblanos chiles are not considered hot peppers, beware of the little seeds.
The one rule, I learned the hard way, is to never rub your face or eyes after handling chiles, any kind.
Wash your hands with soap first! Some people wear gloves if they have sensitive skin but there is an easy way to handle the peppers without extra protective layers.
Simply place the chile on a cutting board or even better on one of those plastic sheets you can quickly rinse in the sink (you can buy 3 of them at any Dollar store for $1 and dispose of them when they are worned out).
Back to our chile, hold it with one hand and make an incision in a T shape or in the form of a thin triangle ( I removed the top of mine in the photo, but you can leave more if you want).
Now the surgery gets a little trickier, using a soup spoon, make sure to remove all the little seeds.
There aren't many but if you bite into one, let's just say that you will definitely know you did! I would also rinse the inside of the chiles under water just to be on the safe side.

INGREDIENTS FOR STUFFING:
For 4 medium size chiles, use:
   3 cups of cooked rice (or barley, quinoa or any combo you like)
   1 small onion chopped
   1-2 cloves of garlic chopped
   4-6 mushrooms sliced
   1/4 cup chopped walnuts
   1 cup of vegie meat or extra firm crumbled tofu marinated in seasonings (soy sauce, herbs, olive or sesame oil)
   2 Tbl nutritional yeast
   1/2 tsp cayenne powder or chili paste (or more according to taste)

Optional:
1/2 cup salsa (do not add cayenne if you put salsa)
Vegan cheese
1 cup of corn or any other vegetable (zucchini etc. I wouldn't use leafy vegetables unless finely chopped)

Prepare the stuffing:

1. Over medium hear, stir fry the garlic, onions, salt and pepper with a little oil for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms and any other diced vegetable you have on had (corn is a nice addition for the color too).
3. Stir fry 1 minute, add the salsa, a little water, the rice and the walnuts. Mix gently, lower the heat and cover for a few minutes.
4. Add the crumbled tofu and nutritional yeast at the very end and stuff each chile with the mixture.
5. Bake for 25mn at 365 F until the chiles are tender and browned around the edges.

Note: you can use any leftover vegie meat too. Just make sure to chop it small and blend it with the rice mixture.You can also sprinkle with vegan cheese but it tastes yummy without it too.

Have fun!

SPICY BLACK BEAN PATTIES

Winter's cold temperatures and lack of sunlight tend to slow us down a little. It is a normal part of the season. But if you need a little extra energy, why not turn to black beans. They are a great source of protein and fiber so they help your digestion and you will feel full and energetic for hours.
Another great thing about black beans is that they regulate glucose levels (helps lower cholesterol), they are rich in antioxidants, iron and manganese.

The great thing about patties is that they are by nature multi-purpose.  Make a big one and you have a burger patty, make a smaller one and you have a side of protein you can serve with vegetables and whole grains like rice, quinoa, barley etc. Make little balls and you have a nice appetizer/finger food you can dip in a sauce of your choice. Make extra patties to freeze for another occasion.

The basic recipe is quite simple and doesn't require too many ingredients.
To make the patties moistier, you can add more nuts and vegies.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup (60 ml) pine nuts
1/4 cup (60 ml) coarsely chopped walnuts
1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 cups (480 ml) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed *
1/2 cup (120 ml) oat bran or wheat germ
2 to 3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon chili powder (more if you like spicy food)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 TB ground flax seed (optional but recommended)
2 TBl tahini, a.k.a sesame butter (optional but recommended)

* if you prefer cooking the beans yourself instead of using canned beans, don't forget to add a little baking soda to the water you use to soak the beans overnight and rinse a few times. It will help eliminating any problem with flatulence. That's the trick and it works. So no more excuse for not eating beans and no need to have conflicts in your marriage!

PREPARATION:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly oil a large baking sheet.
Combine the pine nuts and walnuts in the food processor and process until they are finely ground.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

2.  Put the onion into the food processor and pulse chop until it is minced.
Transfer to the bowl with the nut meal.

3.  Measure 1/2 cup of the black beans, and add them to bowl with the nut meal.
Put the remainder of the beans into the food processor. 

4.  Add the oat bran, water, salt, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic powder, ground flax seed, tahini and pepper and process until well blended.
Spoon the mixture into the nut meal and mix well.

5. Wet one hand and form 9-10 3-inch patties onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the patties slightly so they will bake evenly.

6.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn the patties over with a metal spatula and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer.

Let them cool before handling.

NOTE: these patties are low fat because they are baked instead of pan fried and the only fat comes from the nuts. You can also replace the pine nuts with other nuts since they can be a little spendy. Always buy your nuts in bulk, you will save money and ensure that they are not old and rancid. Store them in clear glass jars.