Stuffed Poblanos

YOU NEED:

1 can- 28 oz. whole peeled Tomatoes in juice

1 Jalapeno chile, minced (ribs & seeds removed, for less heat, if desired)

2 small Onions, coarsley chopped

3 Garlic cloves (peeled): 2 crushed, 1 minced

Coarse Salt & fresh ground Pepper

1 can 19oz. Black Beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese 4 oz.
1 tsp. ground Cumin
3/4 cup water

4 large Poblano Chilies, halved lengthwise (stems left intact), ribs & seeds removed

Preheat oven to 425, in a blender puree tomatoes along with their juice, jalapeno, HALF the onions, and the crushed garlic until smooth; season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9-by-13inch baking dish, and spread to cover evenly.
In a bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onion, minced garlic, cumin and the water; season with salt and pepper.
Dividing evenly, stuff poblano halves with bean mixture; place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake until poblanos are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until sauce thickens slightly and cheese is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

* A good addition to this dish is shredded chicken layed in the sauce around the poblanos.

Discovered this dish from the Everyday Food cookbook, I added the chicken in to make it more of a complete meal.  Would be great as a Mexican sidedish.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

YOU NEED:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs

2 cups white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon orange zest

Whipped cream, for serving and/or cream cheese spread

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing or serve warm (my favorite)  Serve with whipped cream or spread with cream cheese.

Discovered this recipe in looking for a Zucchini Bread, with all the Zucchini I get from my mother's garden every year... this is definitely a hit and favorite with my friends and family.  The Chocolate Chips and Orange zest give a delicious sweetness. One of my favorites, this easy recipe makes 2 nice big loaves, one for you and one to share!!

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes

YOU NEED:

12-15 "BABY" red or yellow potatoes

 (about 1 1/2 oz. each, 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter)

Kosher Salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (about 1/2 cup)

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water.  Add 2 tsp. salt to the water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer.  Make sure they are cooked through but don't overcook.  The total cooking time will be about 30-35 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your countertop.  As the Potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.

Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with the palm of your hand to flatten it to a thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Repeat with all the potatoes.  Don't worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.

Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; put a sheet of parchment on top of the foil.  Carefully transfer the flattened potatoes to the baking sheet and let them cool completely at room temperature.  If working ahead, refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Remove the pan of potatoes from the refrigerator, if prepared ahead.  Heat the oven to 450degrees. (Alternatively, if you have a convection function, turn it on and set the temperature to 400degrees) Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp. salt and pour olive oil over them.  Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and that they're well coated on both sides. Roast the potatoes until they're crisp and deep brown around the edges, 30-40 minutes. Turning over once gently with a spatula or tangs halfway through cooking. Serve hot.

(I like to add Pepper...you can get creative and add any other dry topping, curry, garlic, italian herbs etc. and also add cheese, I like Parmesan, sprikled at the end, last couple minutes to melt)

- This recipe was discovered from Fine Cooking party food magazine, find more recipes @ FineCooking.com