Southwest Stuffed Poblano Peppers

This easy and versatile recipe was found on the website “Creme de la Crumb”. It was shared by a lovely couple who own and operate a pastry and coffee shop in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 stuffed peppers
Ingredients:
4 Poblano peppers – halved and seeds/membranes removed
1 pound lean Ground Beef – OR Chorizo, see note 2
1 teaspoon each ground Cumin, Chili powder, Garlic powder
1 cup cooked long grain White Rice – see note 1
1/2 cup canned Black beans – drained
1/2 cup cooked fresh Sweet Corn, OR frozen or canned corn – drained
1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced Tomatoes – drained
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced, OR 1 4-ounce can diced green Chiles
1/2-1 cup grated Mozzarella OR Mexican-blend Cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Arrange halved poblano peppers in a single layer on the baking sheet so they aren’t overlapping. Bake for 10-15 minutes while you move on to the next step.
2. Add ground beef (or preferred meat choice, see Note 2) and rice to a large skillet, and season with the cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder. Saute over medium heat for 5-8 minutes until meat is browned and cooked through.
3. Stir in the black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and jalapenos or green chiles. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Spoon mixture into the peppers, sprinkle with cheese, and return to oven for another 10 minutes or so until peppers are tender and cheese is melted. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes:
1. Ready rice works great!
2. Ground beef, chorizo, ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground spicy Italian sausage all work well in this recipe! A personal favorite by our author is the spicy Italian sausage or chorizo.
3. Substitutions for the poblano peppers: bell peppers, hatch chiles.