Photos bu Matthew Strauss
Here’s an easy way to incorporate more veggies into your diet – make them your meal’s main event. Use tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers and even sweet potatoes as the base for your dish by filling them with lean meats or flavorful cheeses, and then add on even more vegetables.
Here is my favorite stuffed recipe. These stuffed peppers make my husband so happy when he hears I’m making them. Accompany these stuffed poblanos with beans and pico de gallo.
For the Beef:
3 pounds brisket
1 medium onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons canned chipotle peppers, chopped
1 16-ounce can red enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
For the stuffed poblanos:
6 poblano peppers
3 cups cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Pomegranate seeds
Chipotle mayo sauce
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients for the beef and put in a large crock pot or preheat oven to 300º.
Season brisket with salt and pepper and add to an oven-proof dish or crock pot.
Add onions, garlic, chipotles, red enchilada sauce, cumin, paprika, coriander and chicken broth.
Cover the dish and transfer to the oven and cook for 2 to 2½ hours until the brisket is tender enough to easily pull apart. If using a crock pot, you can cook the brisket as quickly as 4 hours or up to 10 hours if you want to cook it during a long day at work.
Using two forks, shred the brisket and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook quinoa and season with salt and pepper.
Wash the poblanos and place on a baking sheet. Broil in the oven, turning until all sides are blackened. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Gently remove the stem, seeds and as much of the skin as you can from the peppers. Cut or tear down the center so the pepper will lay flat.
To assemble:
Place about ½ cup of cooked quinoa in the center of the pepper and top with a heaping scoop of pulled brisket.
Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro.
Serve with chipotle mayo sauce and pomegranate seeds.
Lucia Schnitzer and her husband, Ken, own Luci’s Healthy Marketplace in Phoenix. The local coffee shop and marketplace opened in 2009 in Lucia’s honor after her successful battle with breast cancer. She successfully manages her career, her growing family (four children), her personal well-being and the countless demands of the day.
