Refried Bean Poblanos with Cheese

This is the first of two posts today.  I was looking through myrecipes.com and found a few new Cooking Light recipes I had never seen.  Oxmoor House released a book in April 2009 called 'Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast'.  The basis of the cookbook is quick and easy meals.  We love Mexican food and decided to give this one a try!

The picture is deceiving of the true portion. I bought only 2 poblanos and intended to use half of the filling mixture. However, when it came time to make this, I forgot and we stuffed ours a little fuller.  I also substituted some spicy salsa we already had in the fridge in place of the picante sauce, threw in 1 tbsp of a taco sauce packet we had open, and used Uncle Ben's Spanish Rice instead of long grain to give it more kick (only about 20 calories more per serving).  In my opinion, the cilantro garnish is a must.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it in your microwave (no oven required)! Great for college kids, urban dwellers with closet-sized kitchens (been there, done that) and for those looking for a delicious and fast recipe.

If you like this type of food, it's a 'must make'! 


As of today's post, I am the only one who has reviewed this recipe, and I gave it a 5!

I REALLY hope you enjoy this in your home as much as we did in ours!

Recipe created by:  Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast, April 2009

Prep: 2 minutes; Cook: 6 minutes

Prep Time: 7 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed chile halves)

Ingredients

• 4  medium poblano chiles, halved and seeded
• 1  (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
• 1  (8.8-ounce) pouch microwaveable cooked long-grain rice (such as Uncle Ben's Original Ready Rice)
• 1/2  cup  picante sauce
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation

1. Place chile halves, cut sides up, on a round microwave-safe plate. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 3 minutes.
2. While chiles cook, combine beans, rice, and picante sauce in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spoon bean mixture evenly into chile halves. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Uncover chiles, sprinkle each half with 2 tablespoons cheese, and microwave at HIGH 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle evenly with cilantro, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 303 (19% from fat)

Fat: 6g (sat 3.1g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g)

Protein: 17g

Carbohydrate: 45.4g

Fiber: 7.7g

Cholesterol: 10mg

Iron: 0.7mg

Sodium: 960mg

Calcium: 232mg

Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House, APRIL 2009