Roasted Poblanos with smokey tomato sauce

This past Thanksgiving (which seems like a million years ago) we took a trip down to Ashland, OR to visit my lovely Aunt and Uncle. They sent us home with a LOT of yummy goodies, like their canned tomatoes straight from their garden. My Uncle, a true culinary wizard, had started smoking his own tomatoes and then canning them and I have to say...they are PHENOMENAL. I decided that stuffing some poblanos with all sorts of goodness, smothering them with the smokey tomato sauce and serving it with some black beans sounded like a winner. And it was.

Ingredients:

4 Poblanos
2 cups of cooked brown rice
3 scallions
4 cups of smokey tomato sauce (regular could work too)
1/2 cups of shredded, good quality, cheddar cheese

Directions:

Hollow out the poblanos by slicing off the tops (keep them) and taking a small paring knife and scraping out the seeds and membranes. Poblanos are pretty spicy so if you prefer a milder flavor, try a bell pepper. Cook your rice by using the 1:2 ratio and using 1 cup of smokey tomato sauce as part of your liquid. Let it cook completely before stuffing. When rice mixture is cooled, add in another cup of smokey tomato sauce, 1/4 cups of cheddar, and half of your scallions. Mix together and test for seasoning. Stuff the peppers by filling it with a spoon and then using a butter knife to press down the filling. This is the way that I found worked best. I used a standard loaf pan and squished those little beauties in tight. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and cheese. Bake at 375̊ until the peppers are tender and the sauce is bubbling.

I served mine with avocado, black beans, and a dollop of plain greek yogurt on top. Enjoy XO