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The.Boy. can say whatever he wants about kale but the truth of the matter is that when push came to shove on Sunday afternoon, those leafy greens were there for him.

As the capsaicin in the poblanos hit his taste buds, causing sweat to pour down his face and steam to come out of his ears, just as he was about to rip his clothes off in an attempt to relieve some of the internal heat that was building, those leaves swept him off his feet, jumped into his mouth and carried him off into a spice-free sunset.

It was quite the fairy tale ending, if I do say so myself.

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Hmmm, what’s that you say?  Where was I when all of this romancing was going down?

Sitting. At the table. Reveling in my third wheel status.

You see, the heat=pain receptors on my tongue were destroyed long ago by what some may consider excessive (is there really such a thing?) Indian food consumption and so while I can handle a fair amount of heat, no problemo, I occasionally forget that other people actually have the ability to sense such things in any reasonable kind of way.

So while it may seem like my intentions were to drive my boyfriend into the arms of my favorite leafy green so that we could all be one big happy family for once and for all…I swear it was really just an act of forgetfulness.

A total oops moment on my part.

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And besides, when did poblanos get so damn hot anyways?  I always considered them to be on the more mild/moderate side of the hot pepper spectrum and most certainly nowhere near the “make your fingertips burn for 48 hours after touching them” side.  The latter of which describes the effect that they unfortunately had on me.

But it was so worth it.

These stuffed peppers were as delicious as they were spicy, being stuffed with beans that were simmered with beer, cinnamon, and chipotle chile powder, and then topped with cheese. Lots of cheese.  I served them with some Spanish rice as well as a corn and kale salad that was super refreshing and really helped to take the edge off the intense heat

All in all, a great meal.

And the fact that it brought two of my favorite entities together (at last!)..definitely the icing on the cake. Err, the cotija on the poblano?  The corn in the kale salad?  Eh. You know what I mean.

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Beer Bean- and Cotija-Stuffed Poblanos
Serves 6, adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 lb dried pinto or borlotti beans, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 12 oz guinness or dark Mexican beer
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • sea salt
  • 6 poblano chiles
  • 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
  • 1 cup shredded jack cheese
  • juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions

  1. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with water.  Allow to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  2. Drain the beans of the soaking liquid.  In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute until the onion is just softened, 5-6 minutes.  Add the beans and 2 1/2 cups water.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Simmer, covered, until the beans are cooked through, about 45-60 minutes.  Add the beer, chipotle and cinnamon and simmer uncovered until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are tender, about another 20 minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Set beans aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 400.
  4. Cut a slit down the side of each poblano.  Remove and discard the membranes and seeds and set the chile on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining poblanos.
  5. In a bowl, mix together the cotija, jack cheese and lime juice.  Stuff each pepper with a few spoonfuls of the beans and a handful of the cheese.
  6. Place in the oven and roast until peppers are cooked through, 20-30 minutes.  Serve peppers immediately with the slit side up.

Spanish Rice
Serves 6, adapted from Simply Recipes 

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 2 cups medium-grain white rice
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
  • pinch of oregano
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, brown the rice in the olive oil over medium/high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 4 minutes.
  2. Add the vegetable broth, tomato paste, oregano and salt.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil and then cover and lower heat, simmering for 15-25 minutes, depending on the package instructions.  Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Kale and Corn Salad
Serves 6, adapted from A Thought For Food

Ingredients

  • 3 ears corn, husked
  • 2 bunches of kale, washed, stemmed and torn
  • zest of 1 lime
  • juice of 1 1/2 limes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • 4 oz cotija cheese

Instructions

  1. Cut the kernels off the corn and into a bowl.
  2. In a large bowl, place the kale.  Add the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and salt.  Massage for 3-4 minutes or until kale has decreased in volume by about half.  Add in the corn and cotija and toss until well combined.  Season with salt to taste.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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81 Responses to Beer Bean- and Cotija-Stuffed Poblanos

  1. Oh, I love these spicy stuffed poblanos! They look great! I like that they are stuffed with beans and cheese, too.

  2. I don’t remember poblanos being spicy either but I’d probably like that anyway. These sound absolutely delicious!

  3. Pam says:

    Beer, beans, and cheese. I’m there. I might have to do this in a bell pepper, because I am a wimp.

  4. I’d eat all these ingredients in any combination…beer, beans, peppers, kale, corn, cheese… I mean, what’s not to love here?! 🙂

  5. Barbara says:

    Funny post!
    I can’t take that heat either. Big glass of ice water nearby!

  6. The cheese falling out of those poblanos is making me crazy! I need to try this right away…like now!

  7. Johanna GGG says:

    I am sympathetic to the boy – my taste buds got used to spice and then lost the immunity somehow – so now E puts tabasco sauce on everything I make because he loves spicy. When I saw the poblanos I was sure they couldn’t be too spicy because who in their right mind would stuff really spicy peppers – but now I know 🙂 Beer simmered beans sounds delicious though

  8. OohLookBel says:

    I can’t handle the heat, and the poblanos look hot hot hot! The kale corn salad, however… a big plate of that, please.

  9. Yum on both accounts…but omg, I need that poblano in my life. it sounds amazing!

  10. Simply Life says:

    oh these look incredible! I am loving every ingredient in this!

  11. Mary says:

    Love the story. Whatever it takes to drive him to the dark green and leafy side, right? Those poblanos might be a whole lot too spicy for me, but I bet my husband would LOVE them!

  12. Katerina says:

    Well perhaps you should have let the poblanos do the job all the way until you gave him the kale to take away the heat. A private strip show from your boyfriend even with the little help of the poblanos worths a lot I think! The food looks delicious!

  13. I have a ridiculously high tolerance for heat too and so I know I would love something like this! I mean, stuffed peppers topped with cheese?? I’m salivating already.

  14. Your meal looks delish! I remember back int he day that Poblano peppers didn’t seem so hot, but they are and I like it like that! It’s a shame that my family doesn’t. Your meal looks out of this world!

  15. Danielle says:

    I love some heat – and like you I killed those tastebuds a while ago. This looks delish!

  16. Ah I am allergic to capsaicin. Yes, really allergic. I am so jealous of people able to eat it!

  17. Marcia says:

    I love spice but have to be VERY careful with the hubby and six year old.

  18. You had me at stuffed poblano’s. So hard to find here, once in a while I get lucky. They look amazing. I want one.

  19. Faith says:

    Definitely a fairy tale ending, lol! Love that he’s a believer now. 🙂

    And wow, does this meal look good…he is a lucky guy! I’ve been craving Mexican like it’s nobody’s business and thinking about going out for it — I can’t whip up a Mexican meal that looks as good as this! I think I need to try though!

  20. Lora says:

    Is it wrong I want one of these for breakfast? Yum!

  21. Jenna says:

    Oh my GOSH do you know how to make a girl hungry! Bring on the heat, say I. Especially since there’s a pile of melted cheese involved.

  22. Shannon says:

    yup, this might have to be done. hope the boy and your fingers have recovered 🙂

  23. Gloria says:

    Joanne look delicious like all your recipes LOL

  24. Lynn says:

    I marvel that you have time for so much cooking and ice cream making. Yum!

  25. Karen says:

    I love this whole meal and I love spicy!

  26. Amy says:

    Ya. Hmmm, I don’t think any of the poblanos I ever buy are THAT spicy. But hey, if it got The.Boy. to strip down to a minimum, I’d say bring on the hot peppers!

  27. I’m not sure I could handle the heat but I think I’ll try this with a less spicy pepper. Looks delicious. I hate when my fingers burn for days. Especially when it gets under the finger nail…awful.

  28. I kid you not, one of my friends just made a song up about Poblanos and Kale!!! Lovely dish and I can’t wait to show her!!

  29. I cooked with poblanos last week and they burned my fingers, too! I was so surprised! Good thing they’re delicious…it’s sort of worth it. I love this idea!

  30. my husband would love these. me? i’d get spiced out. 🙂 the rice sounds so good!

  31. Beth says:

    Very devious, Joanne. I’m impressed!

  32. Eileen says:

    Hooray for stuffed peppers! This recipe looked so familiar–and then I realized I’ve seen it in some other review of the Sprouted Kitchen book. The repetition is definitely making me want stuffed poblanos x2!

  33. sandra says:

    I am so glad that your two loves were united at last.

  34. Christine says:

    Stuffed pepper “looks” delicious, unfortunately, one nibble and I’d be in the ER! So I feel for The.Boy. Kale and corn on the other hand=yummy!

  35. Donna says:

    The poblanos here in the Rocky Mountains are still mild – you can actually taste the pepper as a veg, not as heat. Yours look worth risking a few taste buds to heat!

  36. Katie says:

    I thought the boy would like this meal. I’m glad to hear it drove him closer to those leafy greens (that’s a technique I’m going to remember in the future!).

  37. Ha! I love the image of kale swooping in and saving the day! I find that some poblanos are totally not hot, whereas others are muy caliente. Not sure why!

  38. Those peppers look amazing (what’s not to like about beer and cheese?!) but I’m more intrigued by the kale and corn salad, it looks so good! I think I’d be going to that first before the pepper!

  39. do you know that I only started using cotijia a mere 3 years ago?
    i know, totally stupid right?
    that first photo is so clear
    scratch & sniff!!!

  40. Rachel says:

    hehehe – poor boyfriend, I bet he never knew what hit him. I’m always “accidentally” making things too spicey for my husbend. Yeah, he’s a wimp. Beer plus some kick could go over well with both of us, though!

  41. Kerstin says:

    This looks like such a hearty vegetarian meal – I think even Apolinaras would love it and he’s such a meat and potatoes guy 🙂

  42. Hotly Spiced says:

    I don’t mind heat in my food either and yes, it’s easy to forget that others don’t have the same coping mechanism. Not sure we can buy those chillies here but I’ll look out for them. I did blog your spinach spaghetti recipe a few days ago. Great response xx

  43. london bakes says:

    I just want to eat absolutely everything that you make!

  44. That Girl says:

    I was going to ask what kind of poblanos you were buying that were spicy – the ones I’ve had are always very mild.

  45. teresa says:

    you’re so freaking adorable. these look amazing, i love all that cheese oozing off the pepper. YUM!

  46. Spicy food has never been my best friend although I can take the heat. But this does look very deliciously tempting.

  47. Astra Libris says:

    Ohhhh, how glorious!! Coming from south Louisiana, Zach and I have heat tolerances off the charts… 😉 We would love this dish! 🙂 whenever we have dinner parties we have to tone down the spice factor for everyone, just as you described… 🙂

  48. Oh my – Jason would be over the moon for these! I have to make it for him when he comes and visits! I thank you in advance 🙂

  49. hehe! Such a sweet story!

    And I’ve noticed poblanos are spicy lately, too! It seems wrong!

  50. Guru Uru says:

    This looks incredible my friend, what a delish dish 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  51. Pam says:

    Yeah for kale! I would be thrilled to eat this entire meal for dinner!

  52. Kari says:

    I think, Joanne, that if we ever have reason to eat a meal together, I’ll be on stand by with water and cooling greens 🙂 These do look great though!

  53. Emily says:

    These look amazing! I really need to buy poblanos more often. Sorry I’ve been away! I know you understand, though.

  54. That’s crazy, I’ve never had a spicy poblano in my life! I heard the way to make peppers hot is to make them mad by not watering them. Maybe they got really pissed during the drought this summer. LOL! Anyway, your cheesy peppers sound so good-spicy and cheesy is a math made in heave IMO.

  55. is a math made in heave? LOL! I meant to say match made in heaven. Promise I haven’t been drinking. 😉

  56. Everything sounds amazing, Joanne! 🙂 I grinned picturing your poor guy burning his mouth off. I’ve done that SO many times with my Bear. 🙂

  57. Jenn Kendall says:

    we love spicy food food, so these sound perfect for us!! everything sounds absolutely fantastic!

  58. omg..this look out of this world delicious! Gorgeous clicks!

  59. I have never tried poblanos before. The dish looks extremely tempting and delicious!

  60. Suzi says:

    Girl, you are hilarious and I love stopping by here. I didn’t realize poblanos were incrutiatingly hot. I love this whole recipe and ma happy to know others eat raw corn in their salad. Kale and corn, killer.

  61. Geni says:

    I wish I was at that table as the fourth wheel. That is the most scrumptious looking plate of food Joanne!

  62. Wow Joanne that sounds intense but I probably would have loved it. I am also from the school of super hot and spicy Indian food with a pitcher of water.

  63. I love stuffed poblanos! And I had a similar problem last time I worked them. I touched my face and boy wasn’t that a mistake.

  64. Cathleen says:

    Made your fingertips burn? Ouch, I don’t know if I could handle that heat.. Even though I LOVE spicy food. This looks fantastic.

  65. Reeni Pisano says:

    Love the sound of those beer beans! And poblanos hot enough to burn your fingers? Weird. Maybe they were grown next to a hotter chile – they can take on some of the heat. They look so incredibly good! Worth the burn.

  66. This look awesome. I have not seen poblanos here. Guess I can only drool over your photos.

  67. Carolyn Jung says:

    I was wondering the same thing about poblanos when you wrote about your boyfriend’s reaction. When did they get so spicy hot? I thought they were fairly middling on the heat scale.

  68. Tandy says:

    ha ha, are you sure it was not a way for you to get him to take his top off! Lovely recipe 🙂

  69. The entire meal sounds terrific. It is surprising that the poblano pepper was hot. Pepper blossoms can cross pollenate with other hotter peppers if grown close together. That must be what happened with the one you ate.

  70. Jeanette says:

    This looks incredible Joanne – peppers can be so unpredictable in their level of heat, but I am surprised too that the poblano peppers were that spicy.

  71. grace says:

    awesome plate of food, joanne, but i can’t look away from that filling!

  72. Look at all that yummy cheese stuffed in that lovely pepper!

  73. Now you’re talking my language. This looks fabulous Joanne. Poblanos are my favorite peppers. Usually so mild, wonder where all the heat came from.

  74. Kevin says:

    What a tasty way to do stuffed poblano peppers!

  75. Laura says:

    Your comment about poblanos made me laugh because the second hottest experience of my life (the first being when I ate an entire Thai bird chile pepper while in Thailand, thinking it was some exotic vegetable lol) came in Guadalahara (sp?) Mexico eating a stuffed poblano. It was ungodly. And poblanos don’t usually bother me either. So I guess sometimes you just get a crazy batch like that.

  76. Roz says:

    If I could prepare Mexican/Hispanic/Latino recipes as beautiful as this, I would never have to eat out at a Mexican restaurant again! But alas, it’s a cuisine that I’m seriously lacking skill at! I’ll have to try an update my cooking abilities and try to make this cheesy stuffed chili pepper . . . and soon! Great job!

  77. Poblanos are like jalapeños. Sometimes you get a dead egg that is usually fine for its general purpose. Then other times one slice through the skin, and you make sure the fire department’s on speed dial. It’s the luck of the draw!

  78. This looks so delicious – I can’t wait to make this dinner!! Oh boy – can’t wait!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!

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