Sunday, December 11, 2011

stuffed poblanos with tamarind-maple lentils and contest winner

Not your mama's stuffed pepper
Sorry I've been off the grid. Mid-week, I had a procedure done in the hospital for my ginormous fibroid. I stayed overnight and have been recuperating at home for the past several days. Since my appetite has gone on vacation and I've been in a bit of pain, I haven't been cooking much [thank goodness for smoothies and Satsumas!]. But I'd like to share a recipe I created before my surgery for Stuffed Poblanos with Tamarind-Maple Lentils. I think I'll be making it often.

When it comes to heat, poblano peppers can be hit or miss. Sometimes, they taste as mild and sweet as bell peppers, and sometimes they are hotter than a hoochie mama in Daisy Dukes and stilettos.  I thought that stuffing poblanos with a sweet [apples or quince, sweet potatoes and maple syrup] and sour [tamarind, lime] lentil mixture would complement every segment of the poblano heat spectrum. This is also a pretty dish to serve up: deep green peppers punctuated with umber lentils, sparks of orange sweet potatoes, purple peppers and sunny yellow cheese.  [Oh, the phytochemicals!]

Stuffed poblanos, just out of the oven.
It's also flexible. You can use bell peppers instead of the poblanos. You can also make the lentil mixture on its own as a side dish or Sloppy Joe recipe. And if you skip, or reduce the amount, of Daiya cheese, this recipe can be very low fat. Although this recipe is a bit time-consuming to make, if you like complex Southwestern food, it's worth the effort.

Before I hand over the recipe, I'd like to announce the winner of the Ovega contest. Congratulations to ....drumroll!.... DREAMINITVEGAN! Please email me and tell me your address.

Stuffed Poblanos with Tamarind-Maple Lentils
  • 1/2 cup lentils
  • 1 quince or apple, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 6 poblano peppers, seeded, gutted. Dice the tops finely and set aside
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp tamarind paste
  • 1-2 tsp chipotle chile powder
  • 1 tsp cocoa or cacao powder
  • 3 T maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup Daiya Pepper Jack cheese [optional but wonderful]

Serves 6

Cook the lentils and apple or quince in the vegetable broth: Cover, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes or until all water is absorbed and fruits, potatoes and lentils are soft. [If they're soft and still liquidy, feel free to just drain the excess water.] Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment [for easy clean-up later].

In a large, non-stick saute pan, heat oil over medium. Add diced pepper tops, garlic, and onion. Cook until soft, about 5-10 minutes, adding a bit of water and/or salt to the pan, as needed, if oil dries out. Once soft, add the cooked lentil mixture to the pan and mix well with remaining ingredients, except for the Daiya cheese. Stuff the peppers with the mixture. Arrange on the cookie sheet and top with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

16 comments:

Anne said...

Oh wow, that looks so good!

Taylor said...

Those peppers look great for this chilly weather. Hope you're feeling better!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

The recipe looks delicious! Wishing you a very speedy recovery!

Cooking Classes said...

Thanks for this wonderful recipe. Final Dish is looking great.

Sasha Cohen said...

Trying this tonight!! WOW!!

Anonymous said...

i hope the procedure worked!!!! fingers crossed over here :)

~erica in PDX

Matt said...

Fantastico.. I'm not one for fiddly, so I think I might give this a go with capsicum/bell peppers. It looks really good and sounds like a really interesting mix.

Take care of yourself! Hope you're feeling better.

Lauren from The Holy Kale said...

Delicious! I love your idea of combining a spicier pepper like poblano with Sweet Potatoes! Not to mention lentils...thanks for figuring out what I am having for dinner tonight!

urban vegan said...

@erica: Been meaning to write to you. Will email you when the craziness passes! xo

Tea and Sympatico said...

Wishing you a speedy recovery, hope all has gone well

dreaminitvegan said...

These look really good! I like having different fillings when it comes to stuffing peppers.

Thanks for picking my number for the giveaway. It comes at the perfect time too!

trina said...

What a beautiful and festive recipe! Sounds delicious.

Lindsay said...

wow this recipe looks phenomenal. I love the creativity of the flavor combinations. Poblano peppers are some of my favs but I'm always looking for new ideas instead of just smoking them or grilling them. Thank you! :)

Margaret said...

Love this post. I use love anything with a Latin flare. I also wanted to lick the screen as I'm on day 22 of my 30-40 juice cleanse. Always looking for inspiration for meals to fix my family. Thank you!!
http://veganrawfood.net

Rosanne said...

Just made this and can attest that this recipe is out-of this-world good! I used a bag of ti-color lentils but otherwise kept everything as is. Had more filling than peppers and can say that it will be tasty on it's own with some brown rice. Super spicy = fabulous. Thanks!

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