Hominy and White Bean Chili

'Tis the season for chicken and white bean chili recipes to float around, am I right? I was searching for a vegetarian version of the popular dish, and found this recipe on the Cooking Light website. There are a few differences though, namely it's not a while chili, there is a broth base, not a creamy one. This recipe also calls for hominy, an interesting, different addition to chili, and finally, it has a bright, lighter flavor profile from the cilantro and fresh lime.

The only change I made to this recipe was omitting the field roast faux sausage/soy-chorizo it called for. I felt like the beans provided enough protein, and I'm doing my best to avoid most processed meat substitutes. Not only is it cheaper, but I feel better about the least processed ingredients as possible in our diet. Lastly, I also added some chopped yellow bell peppers, just because I had two one hand that needed to be used up asap. I think the only change I might make in the future, would be to add some chunks of avocado to the top, and a nice dollop of light sour cream (and un-veganize it).

Hominy and White Bean Chili

adapted from Cooking Light

4 c. cooked cannelini beans (or 2 15 oz. cans)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 poblanos, seeded and diced

2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. hot sauce (we love Cholula)

1 15 oz. can hominy, drained

Garnishes:

sliced green onion

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

avocado chunks

sour cream

shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil, bring to temperature.

Add onions, saute' for 3-4 minutes, until edges begin to brown, add garlic, poblanos and yellow bell peppers, saute' for another 5 minutes. 

Add chili powder and cumin, stir to toast spices, add vegetable stock, oregano, hot sauce and hominy. 

Add half of the beans to the pot, mash the remaining half with a fork, then add to the pot.

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. 

If desired, add onion and cilantro to the pot, or reserve for topping.

Ladle chili into bowls, top with garnishes and serve immediately.

Baked Chile Rellenos with Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

We are chile rellenos lovers in this house. What's not to like, spicy peppers filled with cheese, deep fried with a crisp shell and delicious sauce on top. In college, JJ and I would go to a Mexican restaurant almost every Sunday and get them. We also both gained the freshman 15 each year, it seemed! 

A few weeks ago we went to dinner at The Green Chile in Boise (which was delicious, and highly recommended) and JJ ordered a combo that included chile rellenos. As I read the description on the menu, I was intrigued. They filled their poblano with cheese, but then wrapped it in a tortilla and fried it. Genius! It takes out the messy step of breading the chile rellenos. 

I took that idea, and decided it would be a great way to make chile rellenos healthy! There's still the labor intensive task of roasting, peeling and de-seeding the chiles, but it's so worth it when you bite into these beauties! I topped the chile rellos with my Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, but you can use a red sauce, green sauce, sour cream based sauce, just about anything you'd like! 

I served these chile rellenos with slow cooked pinto beans and a small salad of romaine, tomatoes and avocado. 

Baked Chile Rellenos with Hatch Green Chile Sauce

inspired by The Green Chile

4 large poblanos, roasted, peeled, with seeds and stems removed

6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

10-12 corn tortillas - taco size

1.5 cups enchilada sauce of choice

Preheat oven to 425*

Spread 1/2 c. enchilada sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Slice or tear peppers into thirds, place pepper in the center of a tortilla, top with a sprinkle of cheese, roll up and place in baking dish. 

Spread with remaining enchilada sauce, sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and edges begin to brown and crisp.

Tex-Mex Pizza with Poblano Ricotta

Like most people, pizza is one of my absolute favorite foods. I could eat it cold for breakfast and lunch, and hot and crispy for dinner every day. My only dilemma with pizza is finding vegetarian proteins to add. I tend to make an awful lot of tempeh-bacon and pineapple pizza, but occasionally I'm in the mood to switch it up. 

As I sorted through my fridge last Friday night (the eve of grocery shopping), I had just a few options for dinner vegetables: poblanos and cherry tomatoes. I though about making a poblano pesto pizza, but found some ricotta and decided to whirl it up as the base. I love the occasional white pizza with gobs of creamy ricotta! I thought the creamy ricotta paired with the spicy peppers, acidic tomatoes, and earthy beans would make for an interesting (and hopefully delicious!) pizza. 

While it's incredibly nontraditional, it was so delicious. I was eating spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture while I made the dough, something I'll have to revisit for another recipe soon! 

Tex-Mex Pizza with Poblano Ricotta

Whole wheat pizza crust:

1 packet fast acting yeast

1 tbsp. honey

3/4 cup warm water

2 c. white wheat flour (or 1 c. whole wheat pastry and 1 c. unbleached all purpose)

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. EVOO

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a standing mixer with the dough hook on, add water, honey and yeast, stir to combine, set aside for 10 minutes.

Add flour, salt, and EVOO.

Turn on low and begin to mix. Add more flour as necessary if dough is too sticky, or 1 tsp. water if it's too dry. 

Knead for 5 minutes, roll into a ball, set into the bottom of the mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel.

Poblano Ricotta:

3 large poblano peppers

1 c. part skim ricotta

1 tbsp. cilantro

Salt and pepper

Halve poblanos and place on a lined sheet pan. 

Place under the broiler, and broil until skin is black and charred, about 8-10 minutes.

Cool, peel off charred skin.

Add poblanos, ricotta, cilantro, salt and pepper to a blender and blend on high until mixture is creamy and smooth.

Prepare remaining pizza ingredients:

1 c. black beans, drained and rinsed

2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese

1/4 red onion, sliced

1 c. halved cherry tomatoes

Preheat oven to 425* and warm pizza stone (or place a metal pizza sheet pan in the oven to get very hot)

Roll out pizza dough into a circle, place on a piece of parchment.

Slather on ricotta mixture, top with cheese, beans, onions and tomatoes.

Place in the oven on stone or cookie sheet, bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp on the bottom and cheese is melted and browning on top.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Poblanos and Cream

When I first saw this recipe on Elly's blog months ago, I starred it in my Google reader. Then, when she had it listed in her Favorites from 2011 post, I decided it was about time I make it! It's an unusual combination, poblanos and butternut, but it's a match made in heaven. Coincidentally, butternut squash is one of my absolute favorite foods, and poblanos are one of my husbands. Not so surprisingly, we both absolute loved this, and it will be a staple in our "what do you want for dinner this week...?" conversations.

When it comes to poblanos, in my opinion, it's a crap shoot. Sometimes they're pretty spicy, like an overgrown jalapeno, and sometimes they're really mild and almost sweet. Just as I had hoped, JJ picked out 2 of each, so our dish was a little spicy, a little sweet, and super cheesy. I made this dish pretty much as written, but didn't have any farmer's cheese (Elly used queso fresco) so I used goat cheese. I also omitted the cream completely, so the dish actually wasn't exceptionally rich, and the vegetables really were the star of the show. 

Butternut Squash Gratin with Poblanos and Cream

adapted from Elly Says Opa and Food and Wine

4 poblano peppers

1 large butternut squash, about 2 lbs, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 yellow onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Salt and pepper

1/2 c. light sour cream

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

1/4 c. crumbled goat cheese

Heat broiler to high. Slice poblanos in half, seed and place skin side up on a lined cookie sheet.

Broil for 5-10 minutes, until entire skin is charred and blistered. 

Remove from the broiler, turn broiler off and oven on to 400*

Place poblanos in a tupperware container and set aside. 

Place butternut squash slices on another lined cookie sheet, season with salt and pepper, roast for 25 minutes, or until edges begin to crisp.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, add EVOO, onion and garlic, saute' for 5 minutes.

Peel skin off poblanos, slice and add to the onions and garlic. 

Turn heat off, season with salt and pepper. 

Add sour cream, use a spatula to fold it in the vegetable mixture.

Remove squash from the oven.

Grease a casserole dish. 

Place a layer of squash, followed by 1/2 the poblano mixture, and a sprinkle of the cheeses.

Top with another layer of squash, poblanos and cheese.

Finish with one final layer of squash and the remaining cheese.

Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and brown. 

Poblano White Bean Chili

When I told my husband we were having chili for dinner, he looked a little confused, as my old stand-by chili featured ground turkey. I explained that this chili was much different, but I knew he was going to love it. I was met with skepticism until I told him that I chose to make this specifically for him because the star of the dish was roasted poblanos, one of his favorite ingredients! 

I found this recipe in the October version of Vegetarian Times magazine, along with a whole feature on poblanos. I have to say they're probably our favorite pepper variety. One reason is because you really just never know what you're going to get. Sometimes a poblano will be sweet like a red bell pepper, and other times it's packed with heat like a jalapeño. For some this might be why they don't like poblanos, but I like a surprise! 

I don't know that I would exactly classify this dish as a chili, it seems like more of a skillet dish, it's not stewy, but more chunky with a small amount of sauce. I chose to serve the chili over lime zest laced polenta, which offered a nice contrast of texture, and helped to cut through the heat of the poblanos. The pepitas on top added a nice crunchy bite, so don't skip on those! 

Tips and Trades:

-I like to select different sized poblanos because I find that their heat/sweet level is more likely to vary when their size does as well.

-Substitute kidney, pinto or black beans for the cannelini beans, whatever you have on hand.

Poblano White Bean Chili

adapted from Vegetarian Times October 2010

6 poblanos, roasted, skinned and sliced

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 small red onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

2 c. cooked white beans or 1 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 ears of corn, shucked, kernels cut off cob

1/2 c. vegetable stock

1/2 c. chopped cilantro

2 limes

1/4 c. Greek yogurt or sour cream

1/4 c. toasted pepitas

2/3 c. polenta

2/3 c. milk

2/3 c. vegetable stock

Heat a skillet over medium, add 1 tbsp. EVOO.

Add red onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper.

Saute for 5 minutes, until softened.

Add oregano, beans, cumin, corn and 1/2 c. vegetable stock.

Stir well, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

In a small stockpot, combine 2/3 c. milk and 2/3 c. vegetable stock, bring to a boil.

Stream in polenta, whisking constantly.

Turn heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and whisk occasionally, cooking according to package directions (add more stock if necessary).

Uncover chili mixture, add poblano strips and juice of 1 lime, stir well and remove from heat.

Zest other lime into polenta mixture, spoon into a bowl, spoon chili over polenta, top with yogurt, pepitas and chopped cilantro, serve.

Roasted Corn and Poblano Polenta

Yes, another fresh corn recipe! I just can't get enough of this local, sweet, fresh corn at rock-bottom prices. I probably need an intervention because after cutting off the kernels, I have an intense desire to suck on the cobs. Too much information? Ok, let's move on...

I saw this recipe on Elly Says Opa! a couple months ago, and thought it sounded fantastic. I've been on a polenta kick lately, and JJ is always up for anything with poblanos. Elly served hers with spice rubbed shrimp, so I had to find something else to serve it with. I decided some simple garlicky black beans and roasted squash would round out the meal, keeping it healthy and vegan (I made some subs in the polenta). 

Roasted Corn and Poblano Polenta

adapted from Elly Says Opa!

2 small poblano peppers

1 ears of corn, shucked

1 tsp. EVOO

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 c. vegetable stock
1/2 c. polenta
1/4 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper

Preheat broiler to high, place poblanos just under broiler and char skin, turning as necessary.
When all sides of peppers are blackened, remove and place in a tupperware container with a lid.
Set aside.
Heat oven to 400*
Place corn on a baking sheet, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper.
Roast for 10 minutes.
In a skillet, heat 1 tsp. EVOO over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in vegetable stock and paprika, bring to a simmer.
Whisk in polenta, turn to low and stir every few minutes.
Cook according to package directions for length.
While polenta cooks, skin peppers and cut corn off cob.
Add poblanos and corn to polenta mixture just before serving.
Garnish with cilantro.

Raise-the-Dead Chili, Chipotle-Honey Corn Muffins

For some reason, I've been craving a big bowl of chili even though we're on the cusp of sweltering summer heat here in Florida. When I got my last issue of Everyday magazine, I saw this hearty vegetarian chili, and was sold. Though it says it was an award winning chili, I was less than impressed. I loved the idea of black eyed peas standing in for more traditional kidney beans, but they didn't have much flavor. I also thought the photo was deceiving, the chili was much darker and beanier. I think this is why I love food blogs recipes over magazines, though many bloggers are great at sytling their food, they photograph what they eat, and don't manipulate the end result for a photo. So I made the chili closely to as written, and will link that recipe, but I also am going to list the recipe with changes I believe would make it a better chili! 

I will say the roasted poblanos did add a lot of flavor, and that is what also appealed to me. I should have left them chunkier, I pretty much minced them. Also, the method of roasting the garlic-studded tomatoes was innovative and fun.

To go along with the chili, I thought cornbread muffins would be tasty. I like to experiment with my baking, and create originals to test my skills. These muffins were very flavorful and had a tight crumb. Dipping them in chili was great, but I wouldn't eat them without a dipper as they weren't terribly moist. I attribute that to the fact that there is no oil in them, as I was shooting for a low fat/calorie muffin. I used a cute flower shaped silicon muffin/cupcake tray to get little tulip muffins, but a regular muffin tin would be just fine.   

Raise the Dead Chili by Rachael Ray (original recipe here)

adaptation recipe listed below

&

Chipotle-Honey Corn Muffins

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

Salt and pepper

10 plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and halved lengthwise

1 large onion, sliced crosswise

10 cloves garlic, halved

3 poblano chiles

2 c. vegetable stock

2 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp. corriander

1 tsp. smoked paprika

cilantro and sour cream, for garish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°. Grease a baking sheet with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine 1tbsp. chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Place the tomatoes, seed side up, and onion on the prepared baking sheet.

“Stud” each tomato with a garlic clove half.

Bake until the onions begin to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, roast the chiles directly over a stovetop gas flame, turning occasionally with tongs, until charred all over.

Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly and let cool slightly.

Peel, stem and discard all the seeds.

Chop the chiles.

In a large saucepan, combine the roasted tomatoes, 2 roasted onion slices and the roasted garlic.

Add the vegetable broth. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture.

Chop the remaining roasted onion and add to the saucepan.

Stir in the chiles, black-eyed peas, cumin, corriander, paprika and remaining chili powder.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Muffins:

1/3 c. cornmeal

2/3 c. white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg white

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp. chopped chives

2 dried chipotles, rehydrated and minced (or 1 chipotle in adobo, minced)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder.

In a small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, egg white, honey, chives and chipotles.

Pour wet ingredints into dry, mix until just combined.

Spoon into greased muffin cups (4 regular, 8 mini, or 6 flour shaped)

Bake for 10-16 minutes, until puffed, golden, and set.

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, serve.

Black Beans and Rice Stuffed Poblanos & Creamy Corn and Avocado Salad

I haven't made any tex-mex food lately, and I had a craving. I saw some gorgeous poblanos at Kroger, so I decided to make stuffed poblanos. Again, keeping it vegetarian, I stuffed them with a black beans and rice mixture. Since the poblanos and rice had a kick, I served a cool corn and avocado salad on the side. This dinner is very healthy and flavorful!

Black Beans and Rice Stuffed Poblanos

and

Creamy Corn and Avocado Salad

Poblanos:

4 poblanos, 3 sliced lengthwise and gutted, 1 diced

3/4 red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes (mine were chipotle lime flavored)

1 c. chicken stock

1 c. quick cooking rice

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

Dash of hot sauce

Salt and pepper

1 can black beans, drained

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Corn Salad:

1 c. frozen corn kernels, defrosted but cold

1 avocado, diced

1/4 red onion, minced

1 tbsp. minced cilantro

1/4 jalapeno, minced

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Place 3 of the peppers in a baking dish, put in the oven while you prepare rice.

In a pot over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. EVOO, red onion, garlic, 1 diced poblano, salt and pepper. Saute vegetables for a few minutes, until slightly softened.

Add tomatoes, stock, spices, and bring to a boil.

Add rice, stir, bring back to a boil, cover, turn to low and simmer 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked.

Stir in black beans.

Take poblanos out of the oven, spoon beans and rice mixture into pepper cups, top with cheddar cheese, place back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and peppers are soft.

To make corn salad: Add corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, salt and pepper to a bowl. Mix well.

Add avocado, gently fold in avocado, do not break it up too much.

Keep chilled until serving.

A Year Ago:

This Argentinean dish is one of my favories of 2008 - Polenta Rellena con Jamon y Queso (Polenta with Ham and Cheese Filling)

And TWD Snickery Squares - these were also delicious!

Black Bean and Roasted Pepper Enchiladas

This week was one of my co-workers birthdays, so I wanted to make her a dinner since they all went crazy over the lasagnas. It's hard to find meals that aren't a casserole, travel well, are healthy, and can even freeze well. One good one besides lasagna is enchiladas. I knew she liked spicy and healthy food, so I went with them. Well, again I figured if I'm making a tray for her, might as well double up and make some for us for dinner.

However, I've made chicken enchiladas for the blog before, and wasn't in the mood for chicken. I decided to make ours vegetarian, use some beans, and roasted peppers. It was spicy, delicious, gooey, warm and delicious. (The top photo shows some of the filling that oozed out so you can see what the insides looked like!

Black Bean and Roasted Pepper Enchiladas

5 whole wheat flour tortillas

2 1/2 c. enchilada sauce (I use this recipe, canned is fine)

1 15 oz. can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small zucchini, sliced in half moons

2 poblanos, roasted, peeled and sliced

2 yellow bell peppers, roasted, peeled and sliced

1 red onion, sliced

Salt and Pepper

sprinkle of cayenne pepper

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Sautee zucchini and onions in a large skillet over mdium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Sweat veggies for 5 minutes. Add in peppers, beans, 1/2 c. enchilada sauce, and cayenne.

Pour half the remaining sauce in a casserole dish.

Lay out tortillas, spoon mixture into each. Place in baking dish.

Top with remaining sauce, followed by cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Top with sour cream.

Sweet Potato Hash

When we got back from Cincinnati with a cooler full of veggies from my dad's garden, and a big poblano growing out in my pots, I knew this week's dinners would revolve around the veggies. I always have eggs and potatoes on hand, so I figured a hash would be quick and easy.

Southwest Sweet Potato Hash

1 large sweet potato, cubed

2 green bell peppers, diced

1 poblano chile, diced

1/2 large red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Splash of chicken stock

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 eggs

Sour Cream, optional

Grits, optional

Steam the sweet potato for 6-8 minutes until just tender. Set aside.

In a large pan over medium heat, sautee peppers, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Sweat for 8-10 minutes until just soft. Turn heat up a bit, add potatoes, cumin, chili powder, half the cayenne and chicken stock. Press the potatoes into the peppers and let the mixture brown and form a bit of a crust.

Meanwhile, heat another nonstick skillet over medium low. Spray with nonstick spray, crack in eggs. Sprinkle with cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook until desired doneness, then flip and cook.

Flip and press the hash mixture continuously until browned and crispy.

Plate over grits, top with egg and sour cream.

Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup

After the party on Sunday, we had a good amount of leftovers. My favorite way to jazz up leftovers and make something new is to make a big pot of soup/stew/chili. This one was a no-brainer, there! I diced up the chicken and some veggies, added some chicken stock and the rice, and it was delish! JJ and I have both been fighting sinus infections, so the hot and spicy soup was delish!

Southwest Chicken and Rice Tortilla Soup

2 c. diced marinated and grilled chicken breasts

2 c. southwest spiced rice

1 zucchini, cubed

1 green bell pepper, cubed

4 c. chicken stock

1 c. leftover tomato sauce or salsa (I had leftover zesy marinara from friday)

Salt and Pepper

1 tsp. cumin

Garnish:

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Cheddar Cheese

Tortilla Chips, crushed

Place all soup ingredients in a crock pot on low for 8 hours, or high for 3. Ladle into a bowl and garnish with lots of toppers!

Grilled Corn Salad

12 ears of corn, grilled
1 red onion, grilled and diced
2 poblanos, grilled and diced
1 jalapeno, grilled and minced
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. honey
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and Pepper


Mix all ingredients, serve at room temperature

Southwest Spiced Rice

4 c. quick cooking rice (brown or white)
3 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 poblanos, grilled and diced
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with green chiles
1/2 red onion, grilled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
Salt and Pepper


Mix all ingredients in a casserole dish, bake at 300 for 40 minutes.

Rice and Garbanzo Beans

Tonight we had another Cuban dish for dinner. I've had many variations of rice and beans, but never with garbanzo beans. They were really good! They have a much different texture than a black bean or kidney, they have a nice bite to them. I used a poblano instead of a green bell pepper, and smoked paprika instead of Spanish, so this dish had a nice bit of spice to it. Next time, I might add some sour cream or monterey jack cheese on top just for a little something extra. It was very warm and comforting, definitely something i'll make again.

Rice and Garbanzo Beans

1 lb. garbanzo beans
2 c. diced onions
1 c. diced red pepper
1 c. diced green pepper
½ c. EVOO
6 garlic cloves
2 c. parboiled rice (I used fair trade organic brown basmati)
½ tsp. Bijol powder
3 c. chicken stock
½ c. white wine
1 chorizo link, diced (omitted)
½ c. tomato puree
1 tsp. Spanish paprika
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 c. diced roma tomatoes

Sautee onion, red and green peppers in EVOO over low until onions are translucent.
Add garlic and chorizo, cook a few more minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except fresh roma tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce to low, simmer for 20-30 minutes until rice is cooked.
Fluff rice, top with tomatoes.

Pizza Cubana Blanca

When I saw this pizza, I knew for sure it was going to be on the menu. I love cilantro pesto, which is the base for this pizza. I also love poblanos and gouda. There was nothing about this pizza I didn't love! The only thing I did differently was use less cheese, only gouda, and I made a mixed whole wheat crust rather than white flour.

Pizza Cubana Blanca

Pesto Sauce:
1 tbsp. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
¾ c. EVOO (I used 2 tbsp. EVOO and veggie stock)
¼ c. pine nuts
1 ½ c. cilantro
1 c. Parmesan cheese (I used 1/2 c.)
Ground black pepper


Toppings:
4 poblanos (I used 3)
6 roma tomatoes (I used 2)
1 c. gouda
1 c. mozzarella (omitted)


Dough:
1 tbsp. sugar (I used organic light brown)
1 package yeast
3/4 c. warm water
2 ½ c. flour (I used 1 c. whole wheat, 1 c. AP)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. EVOO

In a stand mixer, combine water, sugar and yeast. Let it sit 10 minutes until yeast blooms. Using the dough hook, begin to mix. Add salt, EVOO and flours. Knead for 5-10 minutes, until elastic. If dough it sticky, add more flour 1 tbsp. at a time.

Cover loosely with a damp towel and let it rise for an hour.

Turn broiler on high.

Punch down dough and set aside.

Cut poblanos in half, lay skin side up on a cookie sheet. Broil for 6-8 minutes, until skin is charred black. Remove from the oven, place in a tight sealing container and let sit for 10 minutes.

Turn oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare pesto by mixing all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

Shred gouda, set aside.

Slice tomatoes, set aside.

Stretch dough out all over pizza pan. Spread pesto over dough.

Take poblanos out of container, strip off skin. Slice and place over pesto. Top with tomatoes and gouda.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.