Poblanos Stuffed with Turkey, Rice & Veggies

My friend who’s from Mexico surprised us with a fancy dinner called Chiles en Nogada, traditional in the south of Mexico.

With my mind and stomach on chiles, and some left over rice pilaf, I decided to make my own stuffed chiles dish, filled with ground meat, rice and veggies. I used this as another opportunity to sneak in as many veggies as possible. My hubby called me the ‘kale ninja’.

 

4 Poblano chiles
1 cup of cooked basmati rice (cooked in chicken broth)
¾ lb ground turkey
2 celery ribs, diced
1 large carrot, diced
½ small onion, diced
1 cup fresh kale, chopped
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
½ can of corn
½ can kidney beans
Salt and pepper, to taste
Few dashes of Tabasco sauce
Grated Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese

Prepare each pepper by cutting across the top near the stem and down the middle of one side. Remove veins and seeds. On the grill over fire, or under a broiler, char all sides of the peppers until blackened and bubbly, turning until all sides are charred. When ready, place in a bag or covered dish and let steam. Then peel skin from the peppers and set aside.

 

In a large sauce pan over med-high heat, cook ground turkey until almost cooked all the way through. Add veggies, herbs, garlic, corn and kidney beans; cook until veggies are tender and turkey is no longer pink. Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco, to taste. Mix rice with turkey and veggies.

Using a large spoon, stuff each chile with the filling. Please stuffed chiles in a casserole dish and top with shredded cheese. Place under a broiler and cook until cheese is melted and starts to bubble and turn brown.

Serve with black beans and sliced avocado.

Sausages with Greens & Beans and Grilled Garlic Bread

I fell in love with Italian Greens & Beans at our Italian friend’s family dinner and have been making it ever since. Here’s my spin on the dish. This dish is healthy, tasty, cheap and quick… and my hubby loves it!

 

Greens & Beans:

1 large bunch of kale, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
½ cup broth
2 crushed garlic cloves
Red pepper flakes (Amount depends on how spicy you like it. I usually do 1 tsp.)
1 can cannellini or white kidney beans
Salt & pepper, to taste

Grilled Garlic Toast:

Rustic, crusty bread, sliced (I used a crusty sourdough loaf)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Garlic cloves
Sea salt

Sausages…your favorite kind!

In a large pan, heat EVOO over med-high heat. Add kale and carrots; sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add broth, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, pepper flakes and cannellini beans. Mix together and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to eat.

While the sausages are grilling, brush one side of each slice of bread with EVOO. Grill bread on both sides. Once bread is toasty, rub oiled side with garlic cloves. Sprinkle with salt.

Serve greens and beans with grilled sausages and sprinkle everything with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

 

Note: I know traditional Italian greens and beans don't have carrots, but I like to sneak in as many veggies in every dish whenever possible.