Farmer's Market Challenge: Poblano Peppers

Our neighborhood Farmer's Market is starting to become a new Sunday tradition.  What can be better than seasonal, local vegetables sold by the very farmers who grow them?  I decided to challenge myself by picking a vegetable that I've never cooked with before.  So when we saw poblano peppers selling for $2 a pound we jumped at the chance to cook them up. 

I purchased 5 peppers, 4 onions, 2 bundles of kale, 3 potatoes, 3 yams, 8 apples, 4 pears for $23.  That's quite a haul.

I searched the internet for an easy stuffed poblano pepper recipe.  I wasn't looking to spend much money on dinner so I found one that listed ingredients I recognized.  I changed a few things to make it my own. 

Here is what you'll need:

• 4 poblano peppers
• 1 cup rice(brown or basmati might be tastier)
• 1½ cups salsa
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans
• 1½ cups frozen or canned corn kernels
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne powder(or more if you like it spicy)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 package shredded Mexican blend cheese
• Chopped cilantro 
• Sour cream

1. Cook one cup of rice in either a rice cooker or over range top following directions
2. While the rice is cooking, wash the peppers and slice them in half.  Be careful to remove the seeds and ribs(where the heat is.)  We didn't have any plastic gloves so Rob improvised by using a plastic bag to handle the peppers. 

    3. Place the peppers in a baking dish skin side up. Broil about 7 minutes, and then flip the peppers and broil 7 minutes more.  (At this point, my entire house started to heat up from the spice in the peppers.  And we loved it.)

      4. Drain and rinse the black beans.
      5. Heat 1 cup frozen corn in a sauce pan.
      6. Combine beans, 1½ cups salsa, 1 cup cooked corn, about a 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 cup cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. When the rice is finished mix it in too.

       7. Heat the filling a few minutes on the stove top.
       8. Place the pepper halves skin side down in a baking dish, and spoon the filing into each half.    Top with shredded cheese and bake in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes.  (You can place back in the broiler but I wanted to make sure the peppers were thoroughly cooked through.)
       9.  Top with chopped cilantro and sour cream if desired

I did the math and found that the meal cost $3.09 per serving.  I made enough for 5 servings or 6 if you have a small appetite.

Challenge completed.  I have a happy husband and a dinner for two under $7.

Until next meal....
KIM