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comfort food queen turns whole food evangelist

Category Archives: latin


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Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed Bell Peppers are a comfort food staple. Almost every mom across America has her own version. While my own mother never actually made them, (I think she said she liked bell peppers, but they didn’t like her) I have always been a big fan of the stuffed pepper. I’ve even been known to eat the Stouffer’s frozen variety and rather enjoy it. Now, as a full time grown up, I can’t succumb to such who-knows-what’s-really-in-this-stuff guilty pleasures. So, I’ve crafted my own vegan version, chalk full of vitamins, fiber and good old fashioned flavor. If there is any leftover filling, it’s great rolled up in a whole grain tortilla for a quick burrito.

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Ingredients:

  • 4 Bell Peppers
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
  • 2 cups cooked pinto beans (I don’t buy canned, too much sodium, it’s too easy to cook up your own from scratch)
  • 2 cups cooked Mexican-style rice (recipe follows)
  • 2 cups pureed tomatoes (or canned sauce)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
  • juice of one lime

Carefully core bell peppers; run paring knife around stem and pull out. Pour tomato sauce into large casserole dish and sprinkle with cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Mix corn, beans, rice, cilantro and lime juice in large bowl. Spoon into bell peppers and place in casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until peppers are easily pierced with a knife. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. To serve, ladle tomato sauce into shallow bowl and top with pepper. Each pepper can be halved and served with a side salad for a nice light meal.

Mexican Rice:

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add rice and stirring constantly, saute until lightly toasted. Add onion, garlic and cumin seeds and saute for a few more minutes. Add tomato paste and saute for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add vegetable broth, salt and pepper. Stir well, reduce heat to LOW, cover and steam for 40 minutes.

Chicken & Cheese Empanadas

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These chicken & cheese empanadas are so delicious, I have a hard time not stuffing myself. The dough is classic latin style, with a harder, more durable texture than regular pie dough. The filling is savory, classic Mexican flavors with a bi-product of wicked good chili sauce that you can use as gravy for your empanadas, or as a base for chili.

I made this standard empanada dough recipe that I found online. For this recipe, you will need to make a double batch.

Filling:

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken breasts, bone-in
  • 2 onions, peeled and quartered
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
  • 4 dried Ancho chili, seeded
  • 4 dried New Mexico chili, seeded
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 small can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 block Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 stick cream cheese
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water

Directions:

In large pot, add all but the cheeses and jalapeno. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to LOW, cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until chicken is just poached. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Using an immersion blender, puree the broth mixture until completely smooth. Increase heat to medium and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes longer. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, shred chicken into small pieces. Add in 1/2 cup of the reserved sauce. Mix in cheeses and jalapeno. Divide the mixture among the 20 empanada disks or make into 40 for a smaller snack-size. Brush with beaten egg mixture and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. Can also be fried, if you prefer.

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