Chiles Rellenos Tostadas

I'm trying to come up with low-fat, healthy versions of some of my favorite foods. I love, love, love, LOVE chiles rellenos, but my metabolism doesn't like fried food anymore.

So, here's what I've come up with. It's kind of a combination of Chile Rellenos and Tostadas.

you need:
4 anaheim or poblano peppers
4 chunks of chihuahua, jack, or even swiss cheese (small enough to fit inside peppers)
2 cups refried beans
4 corn tortillas
2 cups enchilada sauce
lettuce, sour cream, or other favorite Mexican toppngs

1. Char, bag, and then peel peppers (I do it on the grill, but you can also do it in the broiler or even on a gas stovetop. You just place peppers near an open flame until they blister all over, then let them steam inside a plastic bag for 15 minutes. Then, you gently peel the skin off and rinse carefully.) Note, this is how you do any hot peppers for Mexican cooking.

2. Carefully, slit one side of the pepper. Gently remove the seeds and membranes, or leave them in for more heat.

3. Place chunk of cheese inside pepper. Use toothpick to close pepper.

4. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray, then cook tortillas, flipping to cook both sides, until crispy.

5. Assemble "rellenos." Place tortillas on a plate, then top with beans, pepper, and then enchilada sauce.

6. Place under broiler for 5 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly.

7. Top with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, or whatever else you like.

This is actually pretty good for a healthier version of a favorite dish. You get the crunchiness from the tortilla, the heat from the pepper, and the creamy smooth melted cheese, minus the fried part.

Chilies Rellenos


I have been craving chiles rellenos from my favorite Mexican restauraunt, Cozumel, really bad today. So I decided to try to make them. I tried another recipe before, but the batter was a little off. I found this recipe online and learned that the secret is the whipped egg batter. The rellenos turned out perfectly! My mouth is on fire, and I'm a happy girl. I just wish I had the ingredients on hand for a good margarita!

You need:
4 poblano peppers
1 cup shredded chihuahua or jack cheese, shredded (plus a little extra for sprinkling)
1 cup flour
4 eggs
cooking oil
red sauce

1. First you blister the peppers. You can do this by placing them under the broiler or on a grill. Allow the skin of the pepper to char and blister, then rotate to get all the sides. When pepper is fully blistered, place them into a gallon-sized ziploc baggie and let sit for 15 minutes. This steams the skin and makes it easy to peel it off. After you peel the skin off, rinse well under running cold water.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet.

3. While oil is heating, separate eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold in 2 egg yolks.

4. Make a slit in each pepper. You can leave the seeds in for heat, or you can wipe them out. I personally like the heat but hate crunching down on hard seeds. It's a personal judgement call. Fill peppers with shredded cheese.

5. Dredge peppers in flour, then dip in egg batter.

6. Test oil by dropping a little batter into the pan. If it turns golden brown and floats quickly, it's hot enough.

7. Place pepper in oil until golden brown. Splash oil up on the sides of the pepper to cook them a little, then flip using a skillet and the stem of the pepper. Flip away from you so you don't splash hot oil on yourself.

8. When cooked on both sides, place rellenos on a plate covered in paper towels to drain. Then place on another plate, top with red sauce and a little sprinkle of cheese, and broil until sauce and cheese are bubbly. Serve immediately.

FLAN

1 recipe caramel (see following recipe)

6 large eggs

6 large egg yolks

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups milk

2 cups half-and-half

1 vanilla bean

1. Prepare caramel and coat a 9 inch round cake pan.

2. Preheat oven to 325*

3. In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract. (Avoid incorporating air as happens when you whisk more briskly.)

4. Pour the milk and half-and-half into a medium saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and, using the tip of a pairing knife, scrape the black seeds into the milk. Add the bean also and bring the milk to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

5. Gradually, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pass the milk and egg mixture through a strainer into the caramel-coated cake pan. Place the cake pan inside a large roasting pan and carefully pour hot tap water into the larger pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the flan pan.

6. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the center just feels firm when pressed with a finger. Set aside to cool in the pan of water, then remove from water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

7. To serve, run a knife along the inside edge of the pan and gently press the center of the bottom to loosen. Cover pan with aplatter, invert, and lift the pan off the flan. Cut the flan in wedges and serve topped with cold caramel.

CARAMEL

2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water

1. Have ready a 9-inch round cake pan. Combine the sugar and 1/2 cup of the water in a medium saucepan. Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the color is darm brown and the mixture has a distinctive fragrance of caramel, about 15 minutes. Use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to wash down any sugar granules from the pot's sides. Pour enough of the hot caramel into a 9-inch round cake pan to coat the bottom and sides. Swirl to coat evenly.

2. Slowly and carefully add the remaining 3/4 cup water to the caramel in the saucepan. Bring to a aboul and cook over moderate heat u ntil the caramel dissolves, about 5 minutes. Occasionally stir and brush down the sides with the pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystallization. Set this caramel sauce aside to cool and then chill until serving time.

Chilies Rellenos

INGREDIENTS:
12 Poblano (hot) or Anaheim (less hot) chile peppers, charred and peeled
1 pound Queso Blanco cheese, cut into strips
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating

DIRECTIONS:
1. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers (or leave 'em in if you're a masochist.) Stuff each pepper with a strip of cheese.

2.In a small bowl combine milk, flour, egg, baking powder, baking soda, salt and canola oil; mix well to make a batter.

3.Pour enough oil in heavy frying pan to reach 1 inch in depth and heat over medium-high heat. Roll each pepper in flour and dip in the batter. Fry until lightly browned on both sides.

"Cheater" Mole

INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/8 tablespoon dried minced garlic
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in cocoa powder, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the tomato soup and green chile peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Transfer to a gravy boat or pour directly over food to serve.

Frito Pie

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

1 Tbsp minced garlic (2-3 cloves, if you use fresh, depending on your taste)

1 lb ground beef

1 green bell pepper, diced

8 mushrooms, cubed

1 can of black beans

1 large can of diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 bag Fritos

Toppings:

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

green onions (cut up)

black olives

fresh tomato (diced)

shredded lettuce

(you get the idea... whatever your favorite Taco toppings.)

1. In a really large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the onions start to become transparent.

2. Add ground beef. Cook until browned.

3. Add peppers, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to boil; simmer for about 10 minutes (or until green peppers are cooked.)

4. To serve: place a handfull of Fritos in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle chili over top of chips, and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!