Roasted Stuffed Poblano

This is based on a recipe I got from Rachael Ray. Yes, Rachael Ray. There is a lot of stuff out there about her-- a lot of people hate her. I used to be a huge fan; now, I do think she's worn out her welcome. She's over-saturated herself and people are sick of her. But I really like what she's done for the food world. She's an advocate for quick, simple food prepared in your own kitchen, as opposed to some greasy drive-thru fast food crapfest. She is by no means gourmet; she's not even a chef. But the reason she became so popular is because her recipes are easy, fast and approachable. Anyone who advocates using ingredients that don't come out of a cardboard box is ok in my book.



So, anyway, I got this recipe idea from her. In typical VCK fashion, I used it as a template.

I started off by charring the poblano pepper (not a spicy pepper at all. Maybe just a little kick--a bit spicier than a bell pepper) in the toaster oven. I put it on broil and turned the pepper when it became blackened. It took about 10 minutes on the first side; a bit shorter on the subsequent turns.

Meanwhile, I made the filling. I sauteed onions, green peppers, black beans, tomatoes and frozen corn together, throwing in some spices like cumin, Muzzy's Magic seasoning, chile powder and paprika. Once the pepper was charred, I cut down one side (make sure you don't cut all the way through. You just want a slit in one side.) and put in the corn mixture. Then I grated some cheese over the top and popped it back under the broiler 'til the cheese melted and it looked like this:


I also made some tomatillo salsa to alongside it. It was basically tomatillos cooked in a pan with the same spices 'til they got soft. There was some extra filling, so I put it in some corn tortillas. Garnished with guacamole and sour cream, this dinner was Yum-O! (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)