Hatch Chiles are at the peak of season, and if you haven’t tried them.. you must make note of my recommendation and hop to it. They resemble a banana pepper- you know- one of those yellow peppers with a twist of tang rather than heat that is typically piled with the other pepper varieties in the produce section. I counseled a client a couple weeks back and made mention of the Hatch chiles and he simply replied- “I’m from New Mexico. We have those all the time..” Well, alright then.
Originally I was going to create my meal aroung these seasonal peppers, but when I actually got to the grocery and realized they were a tad too small- my Fireman would have to get a portion of 4 or 5 pepper halves to get his fill at our dinner meal. I’m afraid I would have to do the same- even though these two babies- now accounting for 1 whole pound each- prevent me from eating a normal sized portion of much of anything these days. I am stuffed to the brim just looking at my food let alone actually consuming it.
So, I decided on stuffing my other favorite pepper besides the Hatch-the poblano. Love these ones. I throw them into everything, making for an easy way to add spice and flavor without the actual pepper getting lost in translation (read; minced jalapeno). Salads, pasta, dips, bread- they go well in most anything you can think of- same goes for the Hatch chiles.
I roasted off my tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chiles together while I waited on my quinoa to cook, so it wasn’t a serious addition in cook time for this meal- and I think the roasted tomatoes add such a depth to flavor to the dish. The peppers cook in a bath of tomato juice, softening the pepper shell and making for and easy way to get a bite of the pepper and the stuffing- because they go so well together, here.
Have you tried the Hatch chiles, yet? You should. They are awesome- and make your way to a store that hosts a festival in honor of the pepper- you’ll get a taste of all the wonderful things that can come of this pepper- plus, you know what this time of year means? It is almost fall. Fall is my favorite time of year. 
Quinoa-Stuffed Poblano Chiles
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 large poblano chiles
- 1 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion, rough chopped
- 2 Hatch chile peppers, rough chopped seeds and ribs removed (jalapeno can be substituted)
- 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup minced green onions
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- The juice of one lime
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cut poblanos in half lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Set aside. Combine water or broth and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 13 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
- While quinoa cooks, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, tomatoes, onion, Hatch chiles, and garlic cloves on a foil lined jelly-roll pan, tossing to combine.
- Bake at 450° for 11 minutes or until tomatoes are lightly browned and begin to burst.
- Remove from oven and once cool enough to touch, remove garlic from the papery shell.
- Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot.
- Add zucchini; sauté 2 minutes.
- Add in roasted vegetables, including the juices from the tomatoes. Continue cooking for another minute.
- Add pumpkin seed kernels; saute 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in quinoa, green onions, cilantro, soy sauce, and lime juice.
- Spoon 1/3 cup quinoa mixture into each chile half.
- Pour tomato juice into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; place stuffed chiles in dish.
- Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle cheese over chiles; bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts and chiles are thoroughly heated.
- Spoon tomato juice over chiles
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 stuffed pepper halves
- Calories: 360
- Fat: 13.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.9 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 20.4 g
Added a fried egg on top of these…added a little Siraracha…YUM!!