I love Mexican food. Big, bold taste from spicy sauces, rich and flavorful meats with earthy, heady flavors from spices, bright flavors from fresh veggies….yum.

Seriously…YUM.

I'm always looking for opportunities to create some super-tasty (and healthy!) meal- and the farmer's markets and local global foods stores are one of the best places for inspiration. All those gorgeous ingredients, slightly exotic and very intruiging all laid out… for me to wander through….it's like a feast for the senses.

As usual, my last trip to our favorite world market with my mom yielded some wonderful goodies, including 3 big poblano peppers. As soon as I saw them, I had a craving for chile rellenos that would not be denied. Now, I've come across a lot of paleo chile rellenos recipes and I've tried my hand at a few, but none really seemed to fit the bill for what I was really craving. So I decided to wing it this time.

I roasted the poblano peppers under the broiler until the skin was blackened, and tucked them in a plastic bag to steam for about 5 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel. I let them cool until I could handle them without cursing and having to nurse burnt fingertips.

I took a little of my homemade sausage and a little ground beef and browned it in a skillet, and then added some leftover chili sauce from my Garden Herb Burgers . A little more cocoa powder and cinnamon, a little more garlic and paprika and a good dash or two of cumin, and the sauce was left to simmer for a bit.

I took the cooled peppers and removed the blistered skin, then carefully split them down the center. I filled them with a good amount of cheddar and pepper jack cheese, and carefully skewered the split with a toothpick to hold it closed.

I've seen a few recipes that create an egg or an almond flour batter to fry the chiles in, but I skipped this step, and simply fried the naked chiles in a little hot coconut oil on both sides. After I removed them to a plate, they were smothered in more and topped with some cojita cheese.

And there you go….spicy, melty, ooey, gooey, cheesy, tomatoey, beefy delicious primal Chile Rellenos. Sort of.

The picture doesn't do them justice, but the were delicious.
Mmmm, I want more right now!

Chile Rellenos (sort of)

2 poblano peppers

2 oz homemade sausage
2 oz ground beef

1 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
OR
1/2 cup leftover Chunky Chili Sauce
PLUS AN ADDITIONAL
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 ounces cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese (or a blend thereof)

1 tablespoon Cojita cheese

Roast poblanos under the broiler until skin is blistered and blackened, turning as needed to roast all sides.
Remove peppers and place into a clean plastic bag, and wrap with a kitchen towel.
Let sit 10 minutes until cool, and then remove from bag and rinse/rub blackened skin off, and pat dry.
Meanwhile, brown sausage and ground beef in skillet.
Add leftover chunky chili sauce or sauce ingredients, PLUS the additional garlic, cocoa, cumin, and cinnamon.
Simmer over low-medium heat until ready to serve.
Split peppers on one side, and carefully stuff cheddar, pepper jack, or Monterey jack cheeses inside.
Use a toothpick to skewer the chiles closed along the seam.
Preheat a pan with 2 tablespoons coconut oil.
Fry chiles 2-5 minutes on each side, starting with the seam side first, until cheese is melted.
Carefully remove chiles to plates, top with sauce and cojita cheese.