Cheesy Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Cauliflower

Stuffed Poblano or Pasilla Pepper with Broccoli Cole Slaw

I've been using quinoa quite a bit in my cooking lately. It has more protein than rice, but can be substituted for rice in many dishes like stuffed peppers. Also, it cooks up a bit quicker than rice. So, swapping the starch for protein can help diabetics like my honey manage their blood sugar a little better.

And, for ideas on how to use quinoa, I follow Alyssa Rimmer's blog, Simply Quinoa, where I found this recipe for Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.

But, I often like to adjust her recipes a little to suit my personal tastes. So, instead of the almond milk, butternut squash and goat cheese she used (which I didn't have anyway), I mixed some of my standard macaroni and cheese sauce with butter, milk, and cheddar cheese.

And, since the last of our broccoli had gone into the large batch of cole slaw we made, I roasted and chopped a little bit of cauliflower to stir into the quinoa-cheese mix. That seemed especially appropriate because one of our regular dishes when I was growing up was a baked cauliflower covered in a cheese sauce!

Lastly, her recipe calls for Poblano Peppers, which can be a little tricky to shop for here in the U.S. as I discovered. At our local grocery, I saw some "Pasilla" peppers which looked a lot like the Poblano peppers she used. A bit of Google searching and reading in Wikipedia showed that they are the same, at least north of the border.

The true Pasilla pepper is the dried form of the chilaca pepper, which is too narrow for stuffing. But, in the U.S., fresh Poblano peppers are often sold as Pasilla peppers such as I found at the store. The dried form of these peppers are called Ancho peppers.

All these varieties are low to medium in heat and comparable to the Espanola, Hatch, Big Jim and several other varieties grown here in New Mexico. But, they are generally milder than the jalapeno, chipotle and Sandia varieties for example.

So, they are a good choice to substitute for regular bell peppers that will let you give your food more zest without overwhelming the taste buds.

Cheesy Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 cup dry quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup cauliflower florets

4 Poblano (or fresh Pasilla) peppers

2 tablespoons butter

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 Tbsp flour

2 cups low fat (1%) milk

1 cup grated cheddar (I suggest medium or sharp)

 Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. Spread the cauliflower on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lined with a silicone liner and bake for 10 minutes.

3. Cut the Poblano peppers in half and remove the stems and seeds.

4. Combine the quinoa and water in a small to medium sized pan (about 1 1/2 quarts) and heat to a boil. Reduce heat and boil for 20 minutes.

5. While the water is heating, melt the butter in a larger pan (about 2 1/2 quarts) over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for about 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the black pepper and flour and stir these thoroughly to make a roux.

7. Gradually add the milk, a little at a time. After each addition, stir the mixture until it has a smooth consistency (except for the onions). 

8. When it starts to simmer and thicken slightly, add the grated cheddar and stir it into the sauce until it melts.

9. About five minutes before the quinoa is ready, stir the cauliflower into the cheese sauce and heat it to a boil. 

10. Spread the Poblano peppers on the cookie sheet.

 

11. When the quinoa is cooked, stir it into the cheese sauce.

12. Stuff the peppers with the cheese-quinoa mixture.

13. Bake the peppers in the oven for about 30 minutes until they are bubbly and the top has turned a darker golden color.

14. Serve the stuffed peppers with a non-starchy side dish like a tossed salad or cole slaw or some cooked green beans.

This makes four servings of two stuffed pepper halves each.

Happy eating!