Grilled Chile Relleno

I love Mexican food.  In fact, I could eat it three times a day: breakfast tacos, lunch tacos, dinner tacos.  You get the idea.  That is why I planted a gazillion pepper plants in the garden this year.  I was dreaming of chile relleno, fresh salsa, roasted serranos, on and on!  I managed to have two of those tonight: chile relleno and roasted serranos.  Here's a warning.  The roasted serranos are not for the faint of heart.  Have your milk poured and ready should you try them.  I just love them, though.  The heat is great, but the flavor is even better.  I served them chopped on top of tacos, and they were unbelievable!

Chile relleno is really just stuffed poblano peppers.  In this case, it is stuffed with seasoned ground beef and queso fresco.  I developed an amazing recipe for seasoned ground beef that was a necessity after trying the puffy tacos at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I came home determined to replicate it but couldn't seem to get the texture right.  Then it came to me.  They slow cook the beef.  I put the recipe in the crockpot on high for 6 hours, and it was perfect!  The slow-cooker also allows you to use really lean beef, making it lower in calories as well.  The recipe uses 4 pounds of ground beef, so it makes plenty to put up in the freezer for instant tacos or enchiladas whenever you get that craving.  For me, that is once a week.

To make the chile relleno, just cut out the stem and dig out the seeds.  Then layer the beef and cheese inside the pepper, finishing with beef.   Unlike traditional chile relleno, I grilled the pepper instead of battering and frying them.  That saved a lot of calories.  Just cook them on a hot grill until all sides are blistered.  Then melt a little more cheese on the top of the pepper and serve with enchilada sauce, if desired.  I used a green enchilada sauce, and they were delicious!

The calorie count will depend on the size of the pepper and how much cheese you use, but here is the calorie count for 4 ounces of ground beef using 92/8 lean ground beef:

• Total calories per serving (4-oz. beef): 161.3 g
• Total fat: 9 g (sat. 4 g)
• Cholesterol: 60 mg
• Sodium:  310 mg(not including added salt to slaw)
• Carbohydrates: 0.1 g
• Fiber: 0 g
• Sugar: 0 g
• Protein: 21.1 g

Enjoy!

Links:

1. Seasoned Ground Beef