Stuffed Poblano Peppers

My husband and I have a thing for southwestern cuisine. We love it all!  I think I could serve my husband southwestern food every day of his life and he would never get tired of it........and neither would I.  We're a match made in heaven, I guess.

We both love Chile Rellenos, which is what I originally considered making with these beautiful poblano peppers.  But the idea of frying something didn't really appeal to me, so I came up with this slightly healthier alternative - Stuffed Poblano Peppers.  These peppers are stuffed with a mixture of tomatoes, green chiles, zucchini, cilantro, rice, garlic, onions, Mexican spices and Monterey Jack cheese.  They are baked in the oven and garnished with sour cream and more fresh cilantro.

In the mood for some southwestern cuisine?  Give these a try!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Serves 3-6

Ingredients:

3 poblano peppers

1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chiles)

1 can green chiles

2 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons chile powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)

1 Tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese

2 cups cooked white rice, prepared according to package directions

Garnish - Sour cream and cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook white rice according to package directions.  Cut poblano peppers in half, lengthwise.  Remove seeds and white parts.  Place in a baking dish.

Meanwhile, over medium heat, saute onion, zucchini, garlic, chile powder, cumin, cayenne and salt and pepper.  Once onion is cooked add Rotel, cilantro and the extra can of green chiles and cook until most of the moisture has cooked out.

Add vegetable mixture to cooked white rice and stir to combine.  Add one cup of cheese and combine.

Spoon rice mixture into each poblano pepper half.  You want plenty of rice in each one, so make sure it's mounded up pretty high. 

Next, add the remaining cheese on top of each pepper.

Place peppers in oven for 30-35 minutes.  If for some reason your cheese starts to get too brown, just place some foil on top and finish cooking.  Mine ended up just right, but every oven is different.

Peppers are complete once they are easily pierced with a knife and cheese is golden brown.

Serve one pepper or two (if you have hungry adults).  My husband and I both ate two, but we are pretty big eaters and didn't have a lot of side dishes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on each pepper and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.  If you have salsa on hand, that would be great too!  You can add additional side dishes - we had warm buttered tortillas, but some refried beans would be another good idea.

Cottage Mama's Note:  This dish is a great way to sneak some veggies into your non-veggie lovers.  I used zucchini because that's what we had on hand.  You could use sliced carrots, corn or even add in some black beans for extra fiber.  Watch the cayenne pepper if you plan to serve this to little kiddos.  Luckily my little ones like some spice, but if they aren't used to it, ease them into it slowly.

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