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!

Joni's Basic 1-2-3 Macaroni and Cheese

One of my Facebook friend's, Christiane Marshall, posted a message about a fundraiser to help Darla Brannan, a disabled working mom with two children, raise money to purchase a van with special modifications to help her get to work and other locations.


Darla Brannan Fund on Facebook

My father was tied to a wheelchair or scooter for the last several years after a hip injury from a fall. On my last few visits to Kansas, I helped him get out of the assisted living facility where he lived until his death last month.

It was a joy to take him out to visit friends and see places, but even those little trips were a lot of work.

I don't know Darla personally, but if she is able to work and raise two children with a severe handicap, she has my great respect and admiration.

I encourage people to support this fund.

Here is a recipe I contributed to the cause.

Joni’s Basic 1-2-3 Macaroni and Cheese

This is at least very similar to the recipe that I have been cooking since I started helping my mother make it when I was a kid. I have adjusted and refined the numbers a few times and often add something different (like diced green bell pepper or ham) for variety. But, these ingredients seem to work pretty well for us.

It uses 1 onion and 1 stick of butter, 2 cups of milk and 2 (8 oz) bags of grated cheese and 3 cups of dry macaroni. Hence, the 1-2-3.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

1 stick (1/4 lb) of butter

2 Tbsp of flour

1 tsp of garlic (diced or powder)

¼ tsp of salt

¼ - ½ tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of basil (mostly to add color, it adds a bit more flavor if you grind it between your palms before adding it)

2 cups of milk

2 eight ounce packages of grated cheese (I usually use mild or medium cheddar)

3 cups dry macaroni

3-4 quarts of water

Preparation:

Cut off the ends of the onion and peel it. Then, cut off thin slices and chop them into small pieces. Set them aside in a small bowl. If you like, slice and dice half a green bell pepper and set aside. Also, you can cut 1 or 2 cups of ham into small cubes or just chop up a few sandwich ham slices.

Put the water in a pot and heat to a boil.

Melt the butter in a large pot (I like to use a 4 quart Corning ware pot which has plenty of room and can go directly into the oven) over medium heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for about 5 minutes till it becomes soft and translucent.

Add the 2T of flour to the butter and stir vigorously into a smooth mixture. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and basil. Stir and cook for a minute or so. You can add the bell pepper or ham now if you wish.

Add the 2 cups of milk to the onion-butter mixture and stir thoroughly so that there are no lumps of flour left.

If the water reaches a boil first, turn the temperature down and keep it hot until you have added the milk.

Now, turn the temperature back up on the water and add the macaroni. Stir it to make sure none sticks to the pot and boil it on medium-high heat for about 9-10 minutes. When it is done (al dente, tender but not mushy), remove it from the heat and drain it.

Meanwhile, heat the milk-onion-butter mixture over medium heat while stirring often till it just starts to boil. 

Add the grated cheese and stir thoroughly to melt the cheese. Continue to heat the cheese sauce until it thickens and boils.

Turn off the heat and stir in the drained macaroni.

Put the macaroni and cheese in a glass or Corning ware pot and bake in a 350⁰ oven for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!