I’ve never been a fan of traditional Chili Relleno’s for a couple of reasons, mainly because frying egg batter in oil tastes like overcooked eggs. If you follow my writing at all, you might have gathered that I hate overcooked eggs. “Never” is the answer to “When is it ok to serve browned eggs?” Not in omelets, quiches, frittata, over or scrambles. Sunnyside up, and over easy only, just so the white is set and not runny. The only possible exception being meringue. My other issue is I want to stuff my chilis with more than just a slab o’ queso! Shrimp, carnitas, corn, rice, beans all make excellent pepper stuff’ins…But, when you load the fragile roasted pepper full of goodies, try and coat it with any kind of batter and then launch it into a sea of hot oil, trouble will surely follow.
My remedy for this for years has been Puff Pastry. Rolled thin and filled with anything you like, then baked to golden brown and served with a rich Red Mole or Enchilada Sauce. Decadent and delicious for sure, and a perfect technique for keeping the passengers in the Chili Boat, but quite hefty. So, in an effort to pacify the fitness crowd, I decided to lighten my creation up by replacing the Puff Pastry with that other Mexican staple…Philo Dough. The delicate sheets of Greek goodness encasing the roasted chili and it’s filling, are baked to a perfect crispness and served just as before. Winner winner Relleno Dinner! So here is my lightened-up, almost-vegetarian version of the Mexican classic.

Recipe:

4 large green peppers such and Poblano, Anaheim or Hatch (I used Hatch), roasted, skin removed and seeded.
1 medium zucchini shredded
1 ear of corn, kernels cut off
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup grated Queso Fresco or Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz Enchilada sauce, or Red Chile Mole Sauce (use a good quality or homemade sauce)
8 oz Green Enchilada or Tomatillo Sauce
1 Tbls Seasoning such as Badia Sazon Completa (Google for availability in your area)
8 sheets of thawed Philo Dough covered with a damp towel
Cooking Spray

Saute the corn and zucchini in a teaspoon of vegetable oil for 2 minutes, add the seasoning and the quinoa stir and remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Then add the cheese.
Take a sheet of plastic wrap a few inches longer than the sheets of Philo and lay it out on a flat surface so that it sticks to the surface. Open the peppers up so they lay flat. Spray the plastic wrap with cooking spray, lay a sheet of Philo in the middle of the wrap and apply spray liberally. Lay the open chili on the far end and fill with stuffing. Roll the stuffed chili up in the Philo using the plastic wrap to lift and roll, keeping it tight as you go. Repeat with a second sheet of Philo and make sure to crimp bottom end together, using more spray as necessary to keep from drying out. Place on a baking sheet, cover with another damp towel and repeat with the rest of the peppers. Bake at 350 for approx 15 minutes and serve with the 2 sauces.

Enjoy-RTK