meatless monday

My little sister just headed back to college for the fall. She's now living in her first apartment and it just so happens that her new roomie is a vegetarian. Having to cook for herself 100% of the time she's now trying to learn some easy dishes to make. No worries Lexi, I'm here to the rescue!

While I could never live without my meat, I have been trying to make a conscious effort to do one meat free day a week. Plus, if you're on a budget (say, a college budget like my sister) this meal definitely won't leave your bank account in a state of panic. 

This dish is so easy to improvise, it's literally foolproof! Plus it's full of protein and fiber from whole grains and beans... you won't even miss the meat. Trust me, I need my meat and I felt full and satisfied! I will say the poblanos turned out to be way spicier than anticipated. Every pepper varies and some are milder than others. If you have a low tolerance for heat just substitute with bell peppers instead.

mexican rice stuffed poblano peppers

yields 6 stuffed peppers

ingredients:

2 cups cooked whole grain rice

1 - 15 oz can of enchilada sauce

1 - 15 oz can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 onion 

1 clove garlic chopped

1 c. corn

6 poblano peppers

salt + pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350º F. In a saute pan heat up a little olive oil, butter, whatever you prefer over medium heat. Slice onions and toss them in the hot pan. You want to get a nice caramelization on your onions. This will take about 15 minutes. Once onions start to turn brown add in your garlic. Meanwhile, open your can of black beans and drain the juice. You want to give them a good rinse to get off the slimy, salty goo. 

In a medium sized bowl place rice, rinsed beans, corn (frozen or fresh), and half of the can of enchilada sauce. 

To prepare your peppers for stuffing, you can do it one of 2 ways. I sliced them in the middle and cut a sliver out of the center and removed the seeds and rib. I did this for a pretty picture. It would be much easier to cut the top off like you would a pumpkin and pull out the seeds and ribs (the lighter part that's soft). You can do whatever you think would be easier! Place the 6 peppers on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. This step will make clean up super easy.

By now your onions and garlic mixture should be ready to add to the rice mixture. Give it a good stir and stuff them into your peppers. Take remaining half can of enchilada sauce and pour over the top of the peppers. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the pepper just starts to turn brown around the edges.

You can top it with a little dollop of sour cream and serve with a few tortilla chips on the side if you like. 

improv style:

here's the fun part. GO WILD! I used the ingredients I had on hand. You can stuff these with anything you like... drain a can of diced tomatoes or use fresh ones, add in some jack cheese, cotija cheese, goat cheese, or cheddar. If poblanos are too spicy for you, you can use bell peppers or sweet red peppers. you can use red onion, green onion, cilantro, pinto beans, mushrooms, green enchilada sauce, tomatillo sauce... seriously whatever you have. stuff the peppers with some rice, veggies, and some form of sauce and pop that sucker in the oven. you could even add meat if you wanted... try some chorizo, ground turkey, ground sausage out of the casing, or even ground beef.