I adore stuffed vegetables, and these stuffed poblanos are a nice change from what you might be used to doing.  Poblano peppers (pronounced “po-BLAH-no”) are fairly mild once you scrape out the seeds and membranes, and they can be stuffed with a wide variety of fillings.   Here, I’ve used quinoa for a nutty taste, and combined it with onions, garlic, sweet bell peppers, cilantro, and of course plenty of spicy datil pepper flavor with both Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce and Fresh From Florida Datil Zest Seasoning Blend with orange, lemon and lime.
Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce and Datil Zest Seasoning Blend
Poblano Peppers are now readily available in most grocery stores as well as vegetable markets, and provide a distinctive flavor that you don’t get with regular sweet bell peppers.  Poblanos are the pepper of choice used to make chile relleno, a popular Mexican dish.  Traditional chile relleno calls for the roasted pepper to be stuffed with cheese, then coated in egg and fried.  I almost never fry anything.  I hate the smell and grease in my kitchen as well as the obvious detriment of fried foods.  Stuffing these beautiful peppers with nutritious, delicious ingredients is definitely the health conscious way to go.  To make this vegan, either leave out the topping of shaved parmesan, or use a vegan cheese substitute.

Fun Facts about Poblano Peppers:

• When dried, whether they are smoked or not, poblano peppers are called ancho chili peppers. (Dried smoked  jalapeño peppers are called chipotle peppers.)
• Poblano peppers are said to originate from the state of Puebla in central Mexico.
• They’re mild to medium-hot, and register between 1,000 and 2,000 Scoville heat units on the Scoville Scale.
• Roasting brings out the fruity flavor of poblano peppers.
• There are approximately 13 calories, 2.97 grams of carbs and 0.11 grams of fat  in one poblano pepper, making them an excellent diet food.
• Poblano peppers are high in antioxidants, and may help fight cancer, promote weight loss and boost your immune system.
• One poblano pepper contains a whopping 51.5 mg of vitamin C, 86% of your daily requirement.  Vitamin C protects against the harmful effects of pollutants, helping to prevent certain cancers, fight infections, and boosts your immune system.
• Poblanos are also high in vitamin A, which is critical for vision and supports cell growth, playing a critical role in the formation and maintenance of a healthy heart, lungs, kidneys, bones and teeth.
• Capsaicin found in poblanos, datil peppers and other hot peppers, contributes to pain relief because it helps reduce your body’s inflammatory responses and decreases inflammation.

These stuffed poblano peppers, full of datil pepper goodness are easy to make and oh so delicious.  They are full of good for you veggies and perfect for a simple weeknight supper.

Datil Pepper Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Baked Datil Stuffed Quinoa Poblano Peppers with Melted Parmesan Cheese

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Cuisine Mexican, Vegetarian

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 4 Poblano Peppers
• 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil or cooking spray
• 1/3 cup quinoa, cooked per package directions
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon or more to taste OSA Gourmet Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce or for even more heat, use Venom Datil Pepper Hot Sauce  or Stinging Lizard Scorpion Pepper and Datil Pepper Hot Sauce
• 1 teaspoon OSA Gourmet Datil Zest Seasoning
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese or vegan cheese substitute (optional)

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to top broil.
• Cut a small section out of the top of each poblano pepper and scoop out the seeds and membranes with a teaspoon.  (A grapefruit spoon with serrated edges works perfectly here if you have one.)
• Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with aluminum foil.  Place peppers with cut sides down on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil or spray with cooking spray.
• Broil peppers for about 5-7 minutes on each side, until skin is blistered but not completely blackened.  Watch them carefully as they will burn quickly.
• While peppers are cooking, in medium bowl, mix together the cooked quinoa, diced onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce and Datil Zest.
• Remove peppers from oven and let rest for a few minutes before stuffing.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Divide stuffing evenly between the peppers and return peppers to the oven for 20 minutes to thoroughly heat the stuffing.
• Top peppers with shaved parmesan or vegan cheese if desired and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Remove from oven.
• Serve with more Snake Bite Datil Pepper Hot Sauce on the side or your favorite salsa.

Notes

Substitutions:  To make a more Mexican dish, you can substitute brown rice for the quinoa and add one can of black beans which have been drained and rinsed and 1 cup of drained whole kernel corn.  You will have filling left over, so you can roast a couple more poblanos or  it makes a wonderful side dish by itself.

Nutrition Facts

Serves 4

Serving Size: 1 pepper

AMOUNT PER SERVING
Calories		155
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.4g		11%
	Saturated Fat 2.4g
	Trans Fat 0g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 7.2mg		2%
Sodium 305.4mg		13%
Total Carbohydrate 16.6g		6%
	Dietary Fiber 3.6g	15%
	Sugars 3.8g
Protein 7.1g		14%
Vitamin A 54.3µg		4%
Vitamin C 124.7mg		208%
Calcium 148.1mg		15%
Iron 1.3mg		7%
Vitamin D 0.1µg		1%
Vitamin E 1mg		3%
Vitamin K 14.7µg		18%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. *The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.