Piñon & Potato Stuffed Peppers With A Tomato Chile Sauce

I made these beautiful stuffed peppers as an eye catching main dish for my family's holiday dinner. If you are looking to make a dish that has a beautiful presentation, this is it!

Some might say these are like Chile Rellenos but these contain more indigenous ingredients, are way healthier, and you only need plants to make it! One thing I love about this recipe is that you can use produce from your garden that you may have frozen. Peppers are such prolific producers and often I have more than I can eat during the summer months. So I either dry them and use them as a spicy addition to meals or you can roast whole peppers and freeze them with their skins on .

There are different variations to make this WFPB ( whole food plant based), without any oil, less or no salt, and no refined flour. Alternatively you can add oil, refined wheat, and lots of salt! When I have made this dish previously I liked to add beans to the tomato-chile sauce as a way to include more protein. I didn't during our holiday meal because I already had enough beans in other dishes.

You can also replace the piñon with cashews, tofu, or sunflower seeds. Each will change the flavor and tofu will be the least fatty option. Adding about 1/4 cup plain plant yogurt to the tofu can help with the flavor and texture but you do not have to add !

Piñon & Potato Stuffed Peppers With A Tomato Chile Sauce

Makes 10

For the Stuffed Peppers

• 10- Med- Large Roasted Peppers Like Poblanos ( de-seeded and skins taken off)

• 4 Large Potatoes Largely Diced & Boiled About 10min ( still semi-firm but cooked thoroughly)

• 1/2 Cup Piñons or other seed/nut/tofu

• 1/2 Cup Water From the Boiled Potatoes

• 1/2 Of An Onion Diced

• 4-5 Cloves Of Garlic

• 1 Spring Onion

• Optional 1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast ( For a Cheesy Flavor)

• Optional 1 tsp Of Salt

• Optional 1 Tsp Sage or Oregano

• Optional Oil for Sautéing

For The Tomato Chile Sauce

• 1 Med Diced Onion

• 5 Cloves of Garlic

• 2 Cups Pureed Fresh Tomatoes

• 2 De-seeded Jalapenos ( or 1/2 seeds from 1 pepper for a spicy sauce)

• 1-2 De-seeded & Diced Anaheim Green Peppers

• 4 Cups Of Water

• 2 1/2 Teaspoons Of Salt ( Optional Or To Taste)

• 2 Teaspoons Mexican Oregano or 1 Teaspoon Sage

• 2 Teaspoons Cumin

• 1 Bay Leaf

• Optional 2 Tablespoons Potato Starch ( For thickening) + 1/4 Cup Cold Water ( Without it will be a thinner sauce. Instead of potato starch you can do 1/3 cup flour and make a roux with oil then add to the blender when blending the peppers.)

Directions For The Stuffed Peppers

1. Sauté the Diced Onion and whole garlic cloves, use a couple of tablespoons of oil OR you can use a bit of veggie broth to keep it oil free. When the onion is translucent you can add the pinons and lightly toast them. Make sure to not burn them and stir constantly to get them evenly golden brown. Pour this mixture into a food processor or blender and set aside.

2. Add the 1/2 cup boiled potato water to the blender/food processor. Put cut up boiled potatoes into a bowl. Half of the potatoes will go into the blender and the other half will be broken up by hand. You want to leave large lumps of potato. You can add a 1/2 tsp of salt ( not listed in the recipe) to the boiled potatoes if you like a saltier dish. Set aside the lumps of potato.

3. Blend the potatoes, nutritional yeast, salt, water, and sautéed onion/pinon mixture until you get a creamy paste. You could add a tablespoon of oil here if you want that type of flavor.

4. Add the blended paste to the lumpy potato. Stir in the seasonings and the cut up spring onion. Taste test ! Add more seasoning or nutritional yeast if you like. Keep in mind the flavor will intensify in the oven.

5. Get out a large pan to arrange the peppers in. I used a large paella cast iron pan.

6. Stuff each roasted and de-seeded pepper with the potato mixture. You can add a toothpick like a suture to keep them from popping apart but you do not have to! Set this in the fridge until your sauce is ready.

Directions For The Tomato Chile Sauce

1. Sauté the onion in either oil or veggie broth. When partially cooked add the garlic cloves and continue cooking until done.

2. Blend enough tomatoes to get 2 cups of tomato puree. It took about 3 large tomatoes for me.

3. Add 2 de-seeded jalapenos and onion/garlic mixture to the blender/food processor and blend until you get a nice puree.

4. Pour the blended mixture into a large pan and add 4 cups of water, salt, seasonings and bay leaf. Stir well. Add diced Anaheim peppers.

5. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to a low-medium heat for 40 minutes. Cover but allow steam to release. Stir Occasionally, do not let it burn or get too hot .

6. Add potato starch + cold water mixture to the sauce and keep stirring until sauce thickens.

7. Pour Sauce over the stuffed chiles and cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

8. Top cooked chiles with garnish like chopped tomatoes, onion, cilantro, pinons or pumpkin seeds.