Hello, my chickpeas! I’m sure it surprises no one that I’m back with another Tex Mex inspired recipe: my Roasted Poblano Sauce!

This sauce is the perfect compliment to any Tex Mex or Mexican inspired meal. I love using it on tacos, nachos, quesadillas, or just as a yummy dip with some tortilla chips!

I recently had a conversation with my mom where I mentioned that a lot of my blog recipes are one of two categories; Tex Mex inspired or pasta. She pointed out that those are kind of the food groups I was raised on, so it kind of makes sense that these are what I gravitate towards! However, I am making an effort to bring you some other cuisines this summer – so stay tuned if you are ready for some other (equally delicious) genres of food in the future!

Ingredients

Nothing too crazy here! Here we go:

• Poblano peppers – our main man! According to the internet, poblanos are “mildly spicy” – however, I personally feel that they can vary quite a bit! I tested this recipe many times and the amount of spice seemed to change from batch to batch, just depending on the peppers I happened to use that day. So just know that the level of spice may not always be the exact same from one time to the next!
• Cashews and plant milk – these are going to make our sauce nice and creamy! Cashews are great in non-dairy recipes like this because they blend up super smooth and make our sauce thicker.
• Garlic and lime juice – these go great with our roasted poblano flavor! (And are necessary for any Tex Mex recipe, if you ask me)
• Maple syrup – for just a tiny bit of sweetness to counteract the sour lime and the spicy peppers. Feel free to leave out if you don’t want the sweetness, or add more if you want it even sweeter!

How to Make Roasted Poblano Sauce

As usual, keep scrolling for the full recipe. But here’s the basic breakdown of what we are doing!

1. Roast your poblanos in the oven.
2. Once roasted, allow them to cool and then remove the skin, stems, and seeds.
3. Blend with all other ingredients.
4. Add on top of your favorite Tex Mex or Mexican meal, or enjoy as is with chips!

Tips & Tricks

• As mentioned above, the spiciness will vary a bit just depending on the peppers you use! If it’s a bit too spicy, feel free to play with the other ingredients. You can add more maple syrup for a bit more sweetness, or you can add more lime juice so that the acidity will tone down the spice.
• Throw this on top of everything! Nachos, tacos, loaded fries, baked potatoes, taco salad, Buddha Bowls – have fun with it! Or just use it as a delicious dip.
• When I want a super quick meal I like to use this as a sauce on top of some rice and beans! Add a couple of sauteed veggies on the side (or not) and you’re good to go!
• If storing the leftovers, just know that this does tend to thicken when it’s in the fridge! Usually if I’m using it the next day I’ll add just a bit more plant milk (or water in a pinch) to thin it down again.
• Ready for more Tex Mex recipes? Check out my Pico de Gallo or Jackfruit Quesadillas!

Enjoy!

Roasted Poblano Sauce

Recipe by Delaney Romero – Joyful BalanceCourse: Sauce, DressingCuisine: Tex Mex, Mexican

Servings

1.25

cups

From Start to Finish

1

hour 

This is the perfect sauce for any Tex Mex lover! Enjoy on its own with tortilla chips, or throw on top of quesadillas, burrito bowls, or tacos.

Note that the majority of the time included for this recipe is roasting the peppers and then allowing them to cool. Most of the hands-on time starts at step 4!

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers

• 1/2 cup cashews, soaked in very hot water for 20-30 minutes (OR in room temperature water overnight)

• 1/4 cup plant milk (I used cashew, but any type will do!)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup lime juice (or the juice of 2 limes)

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and place your poblano peppers on the prepared baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 25 minutes, flipping the peppers halfway through. They should look blackened and blistered when they are done. If they don’t look blackened and blistered, let them roast a few more minutes until they do.
• Remove from oven and carefully place the peppers in a bowl. Cover the top of the bowl with a cloth or towel to trap some of the steam in. Let the peppers sit about 20 minutes.
• Once peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the stems, seeds, and skins. I like to do this by simply peeling off as much of the blistered skin as I can (it should come off relatively easily), and then removing the seeds and stem by slicing the pepper vertically from top to bottom so that it becomes one long strip. When you do this you should be able to pull the stem and most of the seeds off fairly easily. Wipe off any remaining seeds. Discard the skin, stems, and seeds.
• Drain your soaked cashews. Toss the poblano peppers, cashews, garlic, plant milk, lime juice, maple syrup, and salt in a high powered blender. Blend on high until nice and smooth! (This typically takes my vitamix about 90 seconds).
• Enjoy your roasted poblano sauce however you please!

Happy cooking, friends! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your sauce-making ways.

Stay joyfully balanced!