Recipe for Chile Rellenos Bake

This recipe, which I'm calling Chili Rellenos Bake, is one I got from my neighbor Brooke, who e-mailed it to me the very day I posted about Block Party Food and mentioned I wanted the recipe. (Thanks Brooke!) I loved this when Brooke made it, and although I changed the recipe just slightly to make it more South Beach Diet friendly, this is still essentially Brooke's recipe. The ingredient of interest here is whole roasted green chiles, the defining ingredient in New Mexico cuisine, and something I love to cook with. This dish is a healthier and easier-to-make version of Chile Rellenos, a Mexican dish of stuffed, battered and deep-fried green chiles. I used roasted green chiles from a can, most likely Anaheim chiles. Of course you can roast your own green chiles for the dish, but even with the canned chiles this was something I can tell will be appearing regularly on the menu around here. This delicious cheesy green chile dish is my contribution for Weekend Herb Blogging, where you can write about recipes with herbs or unusual vegetables according to the new rules, and I'm sending it to Valentina from Trembom - English Version, who's one of those talented people who's able to blog in more than one language. Check the who's hosting page or the new Weekend Herb Blogging Information Page if you'd like more information about how to participate.

I might have showed you the big 26 oz. can of roasted and peeled green chiles, but I forgot to take a photo until I opened it. In my store they're sold near Mexican foods, and the price is just over $5.00. Let the chiles drain in a colander for about 15 minutes.

I used a casserole dish that was 9" X 11" and the 26 oz. can of chiles was perfect. Open the drained chiles, scrape out any lingering seeds, and make a layer of chiles in the bottom of the casserole dish.

Top the first layer of roasted chiles with a layer of cheese. (I used low-fat four cheese Mexican blend to keep it more South Beach diet friendly. Top the cheese with 1/2 cup very thinly sliced green onions if you like. (Brooke didn't use the onion, but I liked it in this.)

Make another layer of opened chiles, followed by another layer of cheese. Then mix 1/2 cup milk with some beaten eggs and spices and pour over. (You need just enough egg to moisten and hold it together.)

Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. The mixture will puff up a little from the egg, and then settle a little when it cools. I loved this served with some low-fat sour cream and salsa.

Chile Rellenos Bake
(Makes 6 servings, recipe from Brooke with slight adaptations by Kalyn)

1 26 oz. can roasted and peeled green chiles (or use about 24 roasted and peeled green chiles.)
4 cups grated cheese (I used 4-Cheese Mexican blend from Costco, which is a low-fat blend of Monterey Jack, medium cheddar, Queso Quesadilla, and Asadero cheese)
1/2 cup very thinly sliced green onions
5 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free or low-fat milk
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chile powder (I used ground Ancho chile powder from Penzeys)

Put green chiles in a colander placed in the sink and let drain for about 15 minutes. While chiles drain, preheat oven to 375F.

Spray glass or crockery casserole dish with non-stick spray or olive oil. (I used a 9" X 13" dish, but anything close to that size will work.) Use your thumb to split open each chile, scrape out any lingering seeds, and make a flat layer of chiles covering the bottom of the dish. (I alternated every other chile facing the opposite way because they're slightly v-shaped.)

Top chiles with half the grated cheese, then sprinkle on green onions. Make another layer of flattened chiles, followed by the rest of the cheese.

Put eggs into a bowl and beat well, then add milk, ground cumin, and chile powder, and stir until well combined. Pour egg-milk mixture over chiles and cheese, taking care to get it evenly distributed. (The egg-milk mixture will not completely cover the casserole.)

Cover dish with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking time, then remove foil and bake until mixture is bubbling and cheese on top is lightly browned, about 40 minutes total baking time. (You can cook it without the foil, but watch it carefully or the top will get too brown. Cooking time without foil will be slightly less.)

Serve hot, with sour cream and salsa if desired. This will keep in the fridge for a few days, but you probably won't have any leftovers.

South Beach Suggestions:

Made with with fat-free milk and low-fat cheese, this is good for any phase of the South Beach Diet or any type of low-glycemic eating plan, but it's probably a "once in a while treat" for South Beach due to the fat content. (The cheese I used had 9 grams of fat in 1/3 cup, so this is about 18 grams of fat per serving, of which 12 grams is saturated fat.)

More Dishes with Delicious Roasted Green Chiles:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Chicken Stuffed with Green Chiles and Cheese
Green Chile and Cheese Egg Muffins
Calabacitas (Squash with Onions, Chiles, and Cheese)
Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
Chicken and Pinto Bean Soup with Lime and Cilantro
Chile Rellenos Casserole from Simply Recipes
Roasted Green Chile Tortilla Bake from Karina's Kitchen
Green Chile Burgers from Kitchen Parade
Turkey Green Chile Chili from The Perfect Pantry
Kitchen Sink Green Chile Stew from Cook and Eat

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