I love chilies. Anyone who reads this blog understands that. The two plants I managed to maintain and get fruit from this year are my jalapeno and poblano chili plants. I didn’t start them from seed; I got them at the local garden shop. During the height of summer when the temperatures soared and there was no rain, I thought I would lose the plants. Coming home from vacation I was so sad that I might lose these two beautiful plants.
Once the weather started turning and we started having cooler days, my chili plants not only flowered, but they bore viable fruit. The jalapeno bush has just gone wild. It is unbelievable how many jalapenos are on this plant right now. I’m thinking the neighbors are going to get some gifts this season, because there’s no way we’re going to be able to consume them all.
My pride and joy is the poblano chili plant. Poblanos are my absolute favorite chili. They usually carry a mild to moderate heat, but have a bit of sweet to them. The poblanos coming off this plant have a pretty high heat to them and are bursting with a flavor I don’t get from grocery store chilies. These chilies go into almost anything I can think of. I add them to my salsa. I roast them and slice them up to use in vegetable sautés. They go in Calabacitas. And I like to stuff them.
So I was excited when I stumbled on a recipe that involved poblano cream sauce. The blog author uses the poblano cream sauce for portabello fajita tacos. I use it as a sauce for almost anything. It can be a mac n cheez sauce. It can be a sauce for rice. It can be smeared into veggie wraps. It can even be used on pasta. I’ve changed up the recipe quite a bit, although Chic Vegan gave it a good start.
Here is my version of Poblano Cream Sauce. If you can’t find these luscious chilies in your neck of the woods, you can use jalapenos. Remember to watch the heat if you don’t want to burn your mouth and adjust the flavor to your individual tastes.
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1-2 poblano chilies (depends on the heat of the chili)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- juice of 1 lime
- Roast the chilies in the oven or on the grill. Place them in a bowl and wrap tight with plastic wrap. Let the chilies sweat for 20 or 30 minutes. When ready, peel the skin off the chilies and take out the seeds and veins (that's where most of the heat lives).
- In a blender combine the chilies, coconut milk, cilantro, cumin coriander, garlic, and lime juice. Blend well.
- Transfer to a sauce pan and cook for 15 minutes at a medium low heat. Remove from heat. Adjust the salt levels. Add the lime juice. Cool, and serve with rice, quinoa, or tofu.
- Make sure to use full-fat coconut milk.
- Serve over pasta. You can include 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast and use it as a spicy mac n cheez sauce.
- Serve with rice or as a sauce in Portobello Mushroom Wraps.