Healthy Chile Relleno

I saw the following meal on someone else's blog. It looked so appetizing I decided to try it. However I has some mishaps when I was preparing this meal. My kids came inside from playing in the backyard covered in dirt and I had to give them a bath. I had already put the peppers on the grill but I thought they would be okay because I was just going to rinse the kids off. I forgot about the peppers. They were a little black. It was a good thing I had to peel the outside skin off, however they were a little overcooked so they did not hold their shape. That being said supper turned out relatively well. I was a little worried that my husband would not like it since he is not a big pepper fan but he said that it was good and even had a second helping. I must confess that I did not feed it to my children maybe next time I try it I will.

Healthy Chile Relleno
Original recipe here


yield: 2 portions

1 Red Pepper
1 cup Refried Beans (recipe below)
1/2 cup Brown Rice, cooked
1/2 cup Corn, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Pan Spray
Low Calorie Ranchero Sauce (recipe below)
2% Cheddar Cheese, shredded

preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Roast the pepper either in the oven (10 min), on the grill (5 min)
2. Place the pepper in an airtight container and let steam for 10 minutes. Then remove the charred pieces of flesh from the pepper and cut in half longways. Remove the seeds and membrane. Pat the inside of the pepper dry.
3. Smear a 1/2 cup of beans into each pepper half. Top with brown rice (1/4 cup each pepper), the corn and the panko.
4. Spray the pan and the pepper with butter/pan spray, and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and top with the sauce and cheese. Turn your broiler on and place under the broiler for 5 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. If you have no broiler bake for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

5 Minute Healthy “Refried” Beans

yield: 1 – 1/2 cup
1 tsp Oil (any)
1/2 an Onion, small dice1 can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp Salt, Pepper, Cumin, Smoked Paprika
1/4 cup Vegetable Stock

1. Add oil to a saute pan and add the onions. Cook until aromatic and soft, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the onions, beans, and seasonings to a food processor and pulse until pureed. Add the vegetable stock to thin out until you reach your desired consistency. I like mine on the thick side.

Low Calorie Ranchero Sauce

yield: 1 cup sauce
1 cup salsa any variety (I used mild)
2 TBS Onion, smallest dice you can do
2 TBS Red Bell pepper, smallest dice you can do

1. Drain the tomatoes and chiles (Rotel) and add to your food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and remove from the blender. Add the onion and pepper.
2. The whole cup of sauce has less than 60 calories.