A Healthy Chile Relleno

If you haven't noticed by now, I love peppers.

and, I love stuffing peppers.

and, I love stuffing peppers with healthy things.

Natalie's Killer Cuisine used to be so unpredictable! Now I can't stop stuffing peppers.... but they taste so good! I mean really really good. So good that last night I thought about eating Kyle's side and pretending like I hadn't cooked anything for dinner. (Yep, this is another meat free dinner that Kyle will eat, score!)

Kyle and I went to a great Tex Mex restaurant recently and he ordered one of his favorites, a Chile Relleno, which is a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with cheese, beef or chicken and then battered and deep fried. Next they top it with plenty of Ranchero sauce and cheese and then broil until the cheese is nice and bubbly. It is so delicious, but not the healthiest of items. But it's the kind of unhealthy that just isn't necessary.

Every standard Tex Mex plate comes with rice and beans. Normally white rice, and beans with lard. Again, not healthy. So how about I combine my favorite unhealthy Tex Mex items into one healthy Chile Relleno. I stuffed the relleno with beans, brown rice, corn and panko bread crumbs to give it that familiar crunch. Then I topped it with a low calorie tomato sauce, 2% cheese and put it under the broiler (which is one of my favorite methods of cooking.) It was fantastic, so filling, and pretty darn healthy.

(Before baking, goes from boring to amazing!)

Healthy Chile Relleno
yield: 2 portions

1 Poblano Pepper
1 cup Refried Beans (recipe below)
1/2 cup Brown Rice, cooked
1/2 cup Corn, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Pan Spray
Low Calorie Ranchero Sauce (recipe below)
2% Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Cilantro, garnish

preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Roast the pepper either in the oven (10 min), on the grill (5 min)or on direct flame (3 min).
2. Place the pepper in an airtight container and let steam for 10 minutes. Then remove the charred pieces of flesh from the pepper and cut in half longways. Remove the seeds and membrane. Pat the inside of the pepper dry.
3. Smear a 1/2 cup of beans into each pepper half. Top with brown rice (1/4 cup each pepper), the corn and the panko.
4. Spray the pan and the pepper with butter/pan spray, and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and top with the sauce and cheese. Turn your broiler on and place under the broiler for 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. If you have no broiler bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

5 Minute Healthy "Refried" Beans
yield: 1 - 1/2 cup

1 tsp Oil (any)
1/2 an Onion, small dice
1 can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Smoked Paprika
1/4 cup Vegetable Stock

1. Add oil to a saute pan and add the onions. Cook until aromatic and soft, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the onions, beans, and seasonings to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add the vegetable stock to thin out until you reach your desired consistency. I like mine on the thick side.

Low Calorie Ranchero Sauce
yield: 1 cup sauce

1 can Rotel, any variety (I used mild)
2 TBS Onion, smallest dice you can do
2 TBS Red Bell pepper, smallest dice you can do

1. Drain the tomatoes and chiles (Rotel) and add to your food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and remove from the blender. Add the onion and pepper.
2. The whole cup of sauce has less than 60 calories.

Oh and Happy Anniversary Kyle, 3 years :)