Vegan Chile Rellenos

OK, I've been craving chile rellenos. And this week at the Farmers Market, they had a few big, beautiful poblano chiles, so I decided it was time.

Now chile rellenos aren't exactly a shining example of classic vegan cooking OR one that's obviously easy to veganize... but I figured it couldn't be that difficult. They are time consuming, but definitely worth it.

I apologise, you'll have to suffer through some miserable pictures , chile rellenos have to be the most difficult food to take an appetizing picture of - they're just mushy, collapsed, cooked peppers covered with odd colored sauce.

But not to fear, the end result was sooooo yummy - if slightly unidentifiable.

As you can see, when I put them in a pan to bake them, the filling mushed out somewhat, and mixed with the green sauce and soy cheese, creating somewhat of a green chile souffle. I'm not complaining though. It was SO GOOD! I'll make them again and perhaps perfect the presentation somewhat.

CHILE RELLENOS

3 poblano peppers (they're large, green and pretty mild)

First, roast the peppers: Place on a baking sheet and roast under the broiler or roast over an open flame until the skin is black and charred. Then put each pepper in a paper bag, being sure to close the bag after each is added. This will trap the heat, making the peppers easier to peel. Leave all 3 peppers in the bag for 4 to 5 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, gently remove the skin from each pepper.

Cut a 1- to 2-inch cut lengthwise into each pepper and remove all the seeds - try not to tear them.

Filling:
1/2 tub extra firm tofu

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup soymilk

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup diced white onion

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1/2 lime

garlic salt

1 1/2 cups shredded FYH (Follow Your Heart) soy "mozzarella" - (it shreds great if frozen first)

In food processor blend cashews and soymilk until smooth.

Add tofu and blend some more.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add to tofu mixture. If too runny, add some more mashed tofu.

Season with garlic salt and lime.

Sauce:
1 can green chile enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded FYH Mozzarella soy cheese

Assemble:
vegetable oil for frying

1 cup vegan baking mix (like Bisquick)

aprox. 1/2 cup soy milk

Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg (like Bobs Red Mill or Ener-G brand)

all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet.
Carefully fill each pepper with just enough of the tofu-cheese mixture until it is slightly larger than its original size. Close the cut parts of the pepper with toothpicks.

Mix the baking mix, soy milk, and egg replacer in a medium bowl, into a very thick batter.

Coat each pepper in flour and then dip into the batter, then carefully lay each pepper into the vegetable oil and fry until golden brown. Turn it carefully as needed.

Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. When all 3 peppers have been fried, remove the toothpicks and put cut-side down in a baking dish. (You can see I used a quiche pan because it fit the peppers nicely.)

Pour sauce over. Top with 1 cup shredded FYH mozzarella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 min. If cheese isn't melted, broil for JUST A MOMENT. (I broiled mine too long of course).

Let set and cool for a few moments, scoop out a pepper, (if you can identify one under the browned "cheese" and sauce and such) and enjoy.