I saw these Poblano peppers in the market today, and my mind started imagining all the different ways I could stuff them. I threw some things together, and came up with a sure hit for a holiday side dish, or even a main course with a beautiful raw salad. The filling is amazing, and could be used to stuff an acorn or butternut squash, or just to eat on its own.
10 poblano peppers (get a few extra, as some may crack when roasting)
1 c cooked quinoa
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 green onion, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
~ 5-7 oz spinach, more if desired, as it melts to nothing
1 large portabello mushroom, chopped into small pieces
8 oz extra firm tofu
1 fuyu persimmon
1/8 c raisins
1/4 c raw sunflower seeds
1/4c nutritional yeast
1/8 c unsweetened dried coconut flakes (optional)
1 ripe sweet plantain
low sodium vegetable broth, approximately 1 c, but maybe more or less
Wash poblanos and place on baking sheet with parchment or silpat, and bake in preheated 400 degree oven. Roast in oven until peppers are slightly charred and soft. Skin will begin to pull away from flesh, but don’t remove the skin, as the pepper will break and you will not be able to stuff.
With the skin on, place plantain in microwave, cook on high 1 minute. Turn upside down and cook on high additional minute. Skin will split while cooking, so don’t be alarmed if it comes off slightly. In a bowl, mash plantain without skin using a fork, and set aside.
In a large fry pan over medium heat, line the pan with enough broth to cover, and bring to a boil. Add onion, green onions, shallot, and garlic. Saute until onions begin to soften, and add chopped mushroom and spinach. If pan is dry at any point, add more broth as needed to keep enough moisture in the vegetables. Cover with lid, leaving small opening, and let the spinach wilt and mushroom break down. Dice persimmon, and add to saute pan. Crubmle tofo into mixture using your hands to break it into a consistency of hamburger meat. Add raisins, nuts, nutritional yeast, and coconut, stir to toss all together. Add mashed plantain and incoprorate throughout, and then take off heat, and add cooked quinoa. You can mix with your hands or a large wooden spoon, and set aside.
While peppers are still hot, place under running cold water to cool off so you can work with it, but still keeping peppers warm. With a sharp paring knife, poke into and cut around stem and remove it with the seeds. Fill pepper with water, and make sure most or all of the seeds are removed. With a spoon or your hands, fill peppers with as much mixture as they will hold, periodically pushing down to really stuff pepper.
