Recipe: Chile Rellenos (stuffed poblano peppers) de picadillo y queso

Hola my friends!

I'm sharing my recipe para unos chiles rellenos (stuffed poblano pepers) deliciosos! Read on for my recipe!

Mis Chiles Rellenos

Since starting my blog I promised recipes would be posted, yet, I've only done one :(  Good news is, I was given a nice push to post one by my fellow BzzAgents. I was invited to join the MorningStar Farms BzzCampain which I joined (of course!) and received a coupon, for a FREE, that's right FREE!, MorningStar Farms product of my choice. (I also received additional coupons for $$$ off any MorningStar Farms product if anyone is interested!) Awesome because I've always wanted to try this meatless meat stuff... the verdict? Find out at the end of my recipe!



For starters, I'd like to say that it is PERFECTLY fine to use ground beef instead of the meatless version I used. Follow the recipe the EXACT same way...



ingredients

   Ingredients:

• 4-6 poblano peppers (see tip below)
• 1 package of MorningStar Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles (or 1lb ground beef)
• 1-2 carrots
• 1 medium potato
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 a large onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 lb queso fresco
• 3 eggs
• 1-2 tablespoons flour
• cooking oil to shallow fry
• 1 plastic bag (I use the kind you get at the grocery store!)

***TIP*** Avoid choosing poblanos that are "flat" since they won't have a big cavity to stuff your filling in and opt for the rounder ones.

1. Char the poblanos on all sides over an open flame or on a griddle (don't worry about burning them... that's what your supposed to do!) 



Charred and ready to set aside

2. Once charred, place them in a plastic bag and close (this will allow them to steam making it easy to peel the skin); set aside
3. Mince half of the 1/2 onion
4. Shred the queso fresco and add your minced onion and mix; set aside
5. Small dice the carrots and potatoes



diced veggies

6. Add the carrots, potatoes and ground meat to a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; continue to cook until the meat is brown (the carrots and potatoes won't be cooked at the point)



finished browning the meat

7. While the meat is browning, add the 2 tomatoes, 1/2 of the onion, and garlic, cumin, pepper and salt to a blender and blend until smooth
8. Add the mixture to your browned meat (if there is a lot of oil in the pan from the meat, drain before adding mixture) and stir to make sure the meat isn't stuck to the pan and lower temp to medium heat; stir occasionally



Just added the tomato mixture








Half-way through the cooking process



9. Once the water has evaporated and your potatoes and carrots are tender, your picadillo is ready



picadillo is ready!

10. While your meat is cooking, peel your poblanos. Remove all black areas by hand (you can wear gloves and avoid touching your eyes/face)
11. Once peeled, make a "T" incision starting at the top of you poblano and ending about 1 inch from the bottom (don't make the top of the "T" to long or you will have trouble in step 19)
12. Open the poblano and remove all seeds



peeled and seedless!

13. Stuff your poblanos by adding either the cheese or the picadillo to your pepper (I would make half and half) You can insert a toothpick into the poblano to "seal" the pepper you'd like.



2 stuffed with picadillo and 2 with queso



14. Sprinkle the flour on all stuffed poblanos (this is to help your egg mixture (next step) to the peppers)
15. Separate your eggs and add the egg whites to a mixing bowl (do not toss the yolks as they will be used in the next step)
16. Beat the eggs until almost stiff
17. Add one of the yolks and beat. When the yolk is fully mixed in, repeat this step until all yolks have been used; your eggs should be fluffy at this point



Beaten eggs

18. Add your cooking oil to a non-stick skillet and turn on to medium heat
19. Carefully dip you poblanos (hold by the stem) into your eggs until fully covered
20. Carefully place in the hot oil and let cook for about 1 minute then flip



Dipped and ready to fry

21. Once golden brown on all sides, take out the poblano and place on a paper towel lined plate
22. Repeat until all poblanos have been fried



Listos!

I paired my chile rellenos with mexican-style rice and of course corn tortillas :)




My yummy dinner!


Now.. onto my verdict of the MorningStar Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles:
I didn't tell my hubby that I had replaced his meat but that I was simply using a "different meat". His first impression, he said it wasn't very "meaty"... but that it was good! Mis niñas at it all up too! In my opinion, it was good and could replace the ground beef in many recipes because the texture was almost the same. I've got some coupons left from my BzzCampaign if you'd like to try it for yourself!