Stuffed Poblano Peppers

The boys in my house have been asking for spicy stuffed peppers for a while. I used some salmon chorizo I had in the freezer, but you can use any nitrate-free raw sausage (not the cooked links). Try Italian sausage, turkey Italian, or regular chorizo. My package of chorizo was 12 oz, which proved to not be hearty enough for 6 peppers. I upped the quantity to 16 oz in the recipe, but if you have a 12 oz package, I recommend cutting the peppers back to 4 and reducing the cauliflower a little bit. When shopping, look for the peppers with some bulk to them, not the flat ones. They are easier to stuff. If you have any leftover filling, toss it in with your eggs in the morning.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4-6 poblano chili peppers
1 small or 1/2 large head cauliflower
16 oz uncooked chorizo sausage (or your favorite)
1 medium yellow onion
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with their juices (I like Muir Glen.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 25-oz jar of your favorite paleo pasta sauce (I like Gabriel's.)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Break cauliflower into uniform-size pieces and place in a medium saucepan. Fill with water to just cover the cauliflower and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and  boil for about 20 minutes or until just tender, but not overly soft. Drain cauliflower, cool slightly, and chop into small pieces or process in a food processor.
3. While cauliflower cooks, rinse peppers, slit lengthwise on one side and cut in a V-shape at the stem. Pull or cut out seedy core. Blanch each pepper by plunging into boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain.
4. In a large skillet over medium high heat, warm oil. Saute onion and sausage 3-5 minutes or until sausage is cooked through. 
5. Add tomatoes and cauliflower and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
6. Season with salt and pepper and add basil, stirring to combine.
7. Place peppers in a baking dish and create an opening by separating sides at the slit. Spoon approximately 1 cup of sausage mixture into each pepper. 
8. Top peppers with tomato sauce.



Spoon about 1 cup of sausage
mixture into each pepper.



Slit pepper lengthwise,
then cut in a V-shape at the stem.

9. Bake for 30 minutes.