I love to add a little spice to my life, heat things up a bit, especially when it comes to the tongue! Poblanos Chiles are one of those delightful peppers that pack a punch while imparting a rich smokey taste that makes you want to eat the entire pan of whatever you have made with them - trust me, I had to stop myself after the first pepper!.

When thinking about heat, I often forget about this delightful pepper, especially since I have a ton of jalapenos still in the freezer from my summer CSA. However, yesterday I ran into my local farmers market to grab some apples and wandered over to the discount rack. Now if you are like me, you love a good bargain and you love vegetables! Eggplants that need to be baked in the next day, limes that need to be juiced, or peppers that need to be roasted right away do not daunt me, especially when a whole bag is 75 cents! Well lo and behold, they had a 75 cent bag of poblano peppers that were begging to be roasted and stuffed and I just couldn't resist. Now if I had been thinking straight I would have grabbed a lime and some cilantro to add to my dish but I was overwhelmed by this amazing deal and didn't think of it until mid preparation.

Poblanos are great because they are easy to stuff, in reality you could put anything inside of them and they would taste divine. This recipe stuffed these beauties with quinoa, onion, garlic, yellow peppers, corn, tomatoes, black beans, and goat cheese. The goat cheese is an awesome addition as it provides a cool, creamy, tang to counteract the heat.

After roasting the peppers and preparing the filling, I decided to place the peppers into a salsa style fire roasted tomato and bake it for 20 more minutes in order to blend all of the ingredients together, however, you could definitely skip this step if you are short on time or famished. I hope that you enjoy!

Roasted Poblanos stuffed with Quinoa, Corn, Black Beans, Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

3 Poblano Peppers, roasted with skins and seeds removed

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

2 small yellow peppers, chopped

1 cup Black Beans

1 cup Corn

2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

1 tbs Cumin

1 Tbs Chili Powder

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt to taste

4 oz Goat Cheese, Crumbled

1 can Salsa Style Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Turn the oven on Broil to preheat. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil, turning every few minutes until the skins are blackened, about 10 minutes. Place in a brown paper or plastic bag for 5 minutes to steam. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed. Put aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat until glistening, add the onion, peppers, and garlic cooking until softened. Add the corn, beans, and tomatoes, stirring until heated through. Add the spices to the pan cooking for 1 minute more until fragrant. Add in the quinoa and stir to combine.

Taking the peppers out of the bag, run them under cold water to remove the skins. make a slice down one side with a sharp knife and remove the seeds. Try to keep the stem intact for easier stuffing.

Open the can of salsa style fire roasted tomatoes and place into a small baking dish.

Add 3 oz of the goat cheese to the quinoa and vegetables, stirring to combine. Carefully stuff the peppers with the quinoa mixture, placing them into the fire roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining goat cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling. Enjoy and healthy eating!

You may have noticed that I love Mexican flavoring, I adore cumin and chili powder and I love the heat that cayenne gives off. I can't get enough avocados or salsa for that matter so when I was thinking about what I would eat for dinner this morning - yes I think about it in the morning, I decided I wanted tacos!

Tacos can be the perfect food, filled to the brim with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and any variety of filling that you want. As I had a bag of red lentils sitting in the pantry for weeks I decided to experiment with them. I think lentils are great, especially sprouted when they are sweet and crunchy. I saw these split red lentils in the store and had to try them as I had only had the brown and green varieties. I consulted with a few friends, did a little googling and found out that they are mostly used in curries so essentially I made a curry with my lentils just using Mexican seasoning. The lentils are super tasty and the great part is that any leftovers can be used in a salad, as a sandwich filling, or just eaten plain!

These tacos were put together in 20 minutes and of course you can add whatever toppings that you would like. I went with a cabbage wrap as its crunchy and adds a little extra nutrition to your meal. I hope that you enjoy!

Vegan Split Red Lentil Tacos in Cabbage Wraps

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 Onion, Diced

3 Cloves Garlic, diced

1 cup Lentils

2 tbs Chili Powder

2 tbs Cumin

1 tbs Paprika

2 tsp Cayenne Powder

1/2 tsp Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

2 cups Water

Cabbage Leaves for Shells

Salsa, Chopped Tomatoes, Avocado and Spinach for topping

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened over medium high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, spices, and lentils, stirring to evenly coat and cooking for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Add more water if need be.

Taking the cabbage leaves, cut out the hard core, load them with the lentils and toppings. Enjoy and healthy eating!