roasted green chiles 2 ways

You know what I love? Summer produce. Everything is beautiful, in season, and delicious. When I went to the grocery store last night, I was excited to see that green chiles were cheap, so I scooped up a handful of Anaheims, and began to hunt for tasty recipes. After browsing all the great ideas on Central Market, I decided to make my own version of the black bean stuffed bell pepper, and then add a chili cheddar biscuit on the side.

First and foremost. Stop everything you're doing, and roast your peppers! I didn't know this was necessary, but a chat with my mom confirmed that roasting your chiles is the best way to go. Simply plop your peppers onto a baking sheet and let them cook under the broiler approximately 5-10 minutes or until they're brown and blistering. Make sure you flip the chiles half way through to get both sides cooked, and when they're looking browned to perfection, take them out, peel off the skin, and use them up!

You can immediately use them in your recipes, or seal them in a plastic bag for future use. Tonight I did a little bit of both-I used 2 for my dinner, and stored the rest for stew, or burritos, or something else amazing.

For the quick-fix chili cheddar biscuits you need: 1. Bisquick Heart Smart mix 2. Milk- I used rice milk 3. Cheddar cheese 4. Roasted green chiles

I know using Bisquick is like, half cheating, but when you work all day, and want something delicious and fast, then shortcuts are often the answer. Besides. The Box said Heart Smart, so it can't be all bad, can it? :)

Follow the directions on the back of the Bisquick box stirring together the dry mix with your milk product. Add a healthy 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese, 1 diced, roasted green chili, and pop those babies in the oven. 9 minutes later you will have yourself 5 soft, moist, cheesy biscuits, with just a slight hint of heat. They were absolutely to die for, but note for next time: more cheese & more chiles. Yummm

For the stuffed bell pepper you need: 1. 1 Bell pepper- I used red 2. Cous cous 3. 1/2 cup black beans 4. Cheddar cheese 5. Your favorite salsa 6. 1/4 diced onion 7. 1 roasted green chili diced

Start off by preparing your cous cous. You can also use rice, or any other grain, but I used cous cous since I had it on hand, and it cooks very quickly. While your grain is cooking, cut off the top of your bell pepper and scoop out anything that's inside. Now chop up your onion and green chili, measure out your cheese, black beans, and salsa, and when the cous cous is ready, mix everything together in a bowl and stuff it inside of your hollowed out bell pepper. You will definitely have lots of extra filling, but you can serve it as a side, or snack on it while your pepper is cooking.

Place the stuffed bell pepper into a baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water in the bottom, and put it into a 450 degree oven for about 30 minutes. The recipe I based mine off of said 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven, but just check on it occasionally, and when the pepper is soft and the stuffing is heated through, you're good to dig in!

Biscuits and stuffed peppers? A slightly strange combination, but both fantastic uses for my roasted green chili peppers. The slight hint of spicy heat in both recipes was perfection. I think my first time roasting peppers was incredibly successful, and now I can't wait to try my roasted green chiles in all sorts of new recipes! Yayy!

chili

After a surprisingly cold and snowy Sunday, nothing hit the spot more than a big bowl of vegetarian chili with some of my best friends. Not just this, but my omnivorous companions, made sure to make it meat-free for me. Aww I love those guys! So straight from Chef Michael's kitchen, here is his version of veggie chili.

Stuff you need: 1. 2 cans diced tomatoes 2. 1 can kidney beans 3. 1 can black beans 4. 1 can chili beans 5. 1 can corn 6. 1 onion 6. a few bell peppers 7. your choice of faux meat 8. chili powder or a chili spices seasoning packet

First and foremost, chop up your onion and bell pepper, and sauté them in a little olive oil, until they're starting to get tender. You can do this in your giant soup pot or in a separate skillet- your choice. When your veggies are starting to get soft, throw everything else into the pot. That's right. The beans, the corn, the spices, and the fake meat. Plop it all in there!

Last night, Michael used Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style, which was delicious, but we both agree that we prefer Boca ground crumbles in our veg chili- highly recommend you try that version too.

After everything is combined in the soup pot, throw the lid on, turn the heat to low, and let it simmer as long as you can fight off the urge to devour it on the spot- the longer the better :)

When we could take it no longer, the three of us dug in and devoured! I've found a lot of meat-free chili recipes, but I must say that Michael's is one of my favorite. It's simple, hearty, and always ends up tasty. Great company. Great food. Thanks Michael!