Winning Cook-off Recipe #2 - Chili Pie

This year's winner for best overall chili comes from repeat cook-off winner Suzanne, who wowed the crowd with this delicious concoction. :-)

Suzanne's Chili Pie

Chili:
oil for sauteing
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 links Field Roast Italian sausage, sliced
1 jar Muir Glen organic mild salsa
1 large can kidney beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen corn

Cornbread:
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup Daiya cheddar shreds

Add oil and onion to large pot and cook until onions are tender. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add remaining chili layer ingredients, bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes. About halfway through chili cook time, preheat oven to 350 degrees and begin to assemble cornbread ingredients.

To make cornbread batter, mix together liquid ingredients and set aside. Mix together dry ingredients (cornmeal through sugar) and combine with wet ingredients. Stir in corn, green onions, and Daiya.

When chili is done simmering, pour it into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Pour cornbread batter over the top and pop it in the oven. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cornbread is lightly browned.

Winning Cook-off Recipe #1 - Sweet Potato Chili

This recipe, prepared by Brooke Fiore, won in the 'most original/unique chili' category. Brooke says she makes it often at home, and makes little tweaks each time, but this is the basic recipe, which came from the cookbook "Chili! Mouthwatering, Meatless Recipes" by Robert Oser.

Sweet Potato Chili

1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 tomatoes, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1/4 cup barbeque sauce
1 dried chipotle chili, crushed
2 tablespoons blended chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups cooked black eyed peas
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
vegetable stock or water, to cover
salt and pepper, to taste
minced fresh parsley and/or cilantro, to garnish

Combine all ingredients (except garnishes) in a large pot and bring to a slow boil, covered, over medium-high heat. Uncover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.

Suzanne's Mushroom Tofu Pesto Pasta Recipe

Suzanne and Neal have brought this dish to our potlucks a few times and it's delicious! Thanks for sharing, Suzanne!!!

MUSHROOM TOFU PESTO PASTA

3/4 C. tamari soy sauce
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 lb. noodles
2 lb tofu (firm), cubed
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 container (7.5 oz) pesto (Nonna Lena's Vegan Pesto)

Combine soy sauce, tofu, and mushrooms in large wide pan on the stove and simmer for about 10 minutes, turning gently to marinate everything without breaking up the tofu. Boil noodles until al dente, drain & rinse. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (drain & discard marinade); then place in greased 9" x 14" baking pan. Cover with foil & bake at 350 degrees for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Valerie's "Don't Be A Jerk" Black Bean Chili Recipe

Thanks so much to all who attended our second annual vegan chili cookoff last Sunday!

Here's the recipe for the chili that won the "best overall" prize. Enjoy, and thanks Valerie for sharing!

"Don't Be A Jerk" Black Bean Chili

4 large onions, finely chopped

1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls each mustard powder and chili powder

¼ tsp cumin

1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes

3- 15 oz cans low sodium black beans (drained and rinsed) and 1 cup veggie “chicken” broth

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

½ of a 13.5 oz can coconut milk

Jerk sauce mixture

3 tsp ground allspice

1 Tbls ground chipoltle peppers

3 Tbls tamari (or soy sauce)

3 large cloves garlic

2-3 green onions, chopped

1 ½ tsp dried thyme

2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped

2 tsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup maple syrup(can also use raw cane or coconut sugar)

Flesh of 1 mango, chopped

In a 5 or 6 quart kettle, cook onions and green pepper in oil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the onions are golden and the green pepper is soft.

Add mustard powder and cook, stirring for one minute. Add chili powder, cumin, tomatoes with their liquid, beans, “chicken” broth and tomato paste . Stir until well blended.

Bring to a boil and then turn down heat to low and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes.

While chili is simmering, place all Jerk sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Then carefully poor into chili mixture on the stove and stir until totally mixed in. Then add coconut milk and stir until completely incorporated. The color may seem a little odd at first. But it will darken after it cooks for a while.

Simmer with the pot partially, uncovered for about an hour. Stir often to keep it from scorching. Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

Note: Like most dishes of this nature, the longer it simmers, the more flavorful it becomes. If you have the day to spare, let this simmer on a very low temperature for several hours and it will be well worth it!

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 9

ALMOND CRESCENTS

Makes about 50 little cookies that are great for holiday gift giving.

1 stick vegan margarine
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus additional for coating
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup ground almonds (other nuts ok)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Cream butter, add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Shape with fingers into crescents. (Kid friendly for other shapes or rolling out too.)

Roll in extra confectioner’s sugar and bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 12 to 15 minutes.

Take out when just starting to brown. Cool, then roll in more confectioner’s sugar before serving.

Submitted by Heather Gladding. Adapted from “The Fanny Farmer Cookbook.”

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 8

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

4.5 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
6 tablespoons of water
1 cup non dairy butter, (I used two sticks of Earth Balance vegan buttery sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
a whole bag of Ghiradelli chocolate chips (or other brand)

- preheat oven 375 degrees
-whip the egg replacer and water and set aside
-in large bowl cream the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla
-add egg replacer and whip till very smooth and creamy with electric mixer
-in separate bowl mix dry ingredients
-combine dry into wet and mix and then add chips.
- bake 10 minutes, then let cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes, then transfer to wax paper.

Danny Romero’s version from “The Joy of Vegan Baking” by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 7

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup plain soymilk
3/4 cup maple syrup
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup walnuts, crushed (I like mine crushed pretty finely)
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add soymilk, maple syrup, and oil. Stir just until moistened, then fold in walnuts and chocolate chips.

Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin. Fill the cups pretty much to the brim - these will rise a little but not a ton. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until they pass the toothpick test.

Submitted by Tamara McFarland. Modified from recipe in VegNews magazine.

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 6

Gluten-Free Lemon and Jelly Cookies

2 1/2 cups blanched almonds (dry), ground finely in food processor
2/3 cup corn flour or cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup yellow flaxmeal (light colored)
1/2 cup + 2 tsp agave syrup
2 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (optional)
fruit sweetened jelly, jam, or fruit preserves of choice

1. Spray a large cookie sheet with a good vegetable oil spray and preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients(except for the jelly) in the given order. Mix well.

3. Drop dough on cookie sheet with a teaspoon and flatten with a fork.

4. After flattening, go back to each cookie pressing with either your thumb or the bottom of a spoon, creating a little crater in each cookie. Add a small amount of jelly inside the indentation, but not too much or it will overflow and spill out during the baking.

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Check often to prevent burning.

5. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet.

Makes about 2 dozen

If stored in a sealed tupperware like container they become more moist over time and the flavor intensifies.

*This recipe can be adapted with many different nuts, combinations and flavors.

Submitted by Valerie McGowan

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 5

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE PILLOWS

Chocolate dough:
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons black unsweetened cocoa or more dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling:
3/4 cup natural salted peanut butter, crunchy or creamy style
2/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons soy creamer or non-dairy milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar, maple syrup, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, black cocoa if using, baking soda and salt. Mix to form a moist dough.

Make the filling. In another mixing bowl beat together peanut butter, confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of soy creamer and vanilla extract to form a moist but firm dough. If peanut butter dough is too dry stir in remaining tablespoon of non-dairy milk. If dough is too wet knead in a little extra powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Shape the cookies. Create the centers of the cookies by rolling the peanut butter dough into 24 balls. Scoop a generous tablespoon of chocolate dough, flatten into a disc and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Fold the sides of the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter center and roll the chocolate ball into an smooth ball between your palms. Place on a sheet of waxed paper and repeat with remaining dough.

Place dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and let cookies cool for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling. Store cookies in tightly covered container. If desired warm cookies in a microwave for 10 to 12 seconds before serving.

Submitted by Tamara McFarland (I think this is an Isa Chandra Moskowitz recipe, possibly from the book, 'Vegan Cupcakes Take Over Your Cookie Jar'.)

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 4

MAGIC CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup unrefined sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup cold water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a large bowl and stir with a fork until mixed. Make a well in the center and add the vanilla, oil, vinegar, and water. Stir with a fork until well mixed. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely, then frost with Chocolate Cream Frosting (below).

CHOCOLATE CREAM FROSTING

2 tablespoons vegan margarine
1 1/3cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons water

Cream the vegan margarine in a small bowl, then add the sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and enough water to make a thick but spreadable frosting.

From ’The Peaceful Palate’ by Jennifer Raymond.

Tamara's notes: “I have never mixed this in the baking pan like Jennifer suggests; I always just use a mixing bowl. Also, I often double the recipe to make a 9x13 cake.”

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 3

KEY LIME CHEESECAKE

1 package silken tofu
8 ounces non-dairy cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 teaspoons lime zest, divided
Juice of 3 limes
2 teaspoons agar agar flakes
1 prepared pie crust
1-1/2 cups non-dairy whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine tofu, cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, 3 teaspoons lime zest, and lime juice until smooth. Add agar agar and blend for about 1 minute.

2. Add tofu mixture to pie crust and bake about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, and allow to sit in the oven for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool, then top with non-dairy whipped cream. Sprinkle remaining lime zest and serve.

Submitted by Tamara McFarland

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 2

STRAWBERRY, PEACH, RASPBERRY CRISP WITH GINGER AND ORANGE ZEST

2 cups peaches, sliced
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspons orange zest
4 tablespoons sucanat

Topping:
1/2 cup - whole grain flour
1/2 cup - rolled oats
1/2 cup - Sucanat
1/2 cup - finely chopped pistachios and walnuts
6 Tablespoons - melted vegan butter and/or coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon -salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange sliced fruit, ginger, orange zest, and sucanat in an 8 inch square baking dish. Mix all the ingredients for the topping in a bowl and sprinkle on top of strawberries, covering the top fully. Bake the crisp until the juices are bubbly, and the topping is golden brown. This takes about 35-40 minutes.

Let cool slightly and serve warm as such or with ice cream or whipped cream. Store leftover crisp in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 2 days. Slightly warm before serving.

Submitted by Holly Young

Vegan Dessert Recipes, Part 1

The first of several recipes submitted by HVS members for last weekend's vegan desserts class...

REALLY! ONE BOWL BROWNIES

2 cups raw walnuts (unsoaked)
1 cup almonds (unsoaked)
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/8 tsp. salt
16 pitted, lightly chopped dates
1/3 cup cocoa (or raw) powder
1/3 cup carob powder
1 cup dried cherries (or raisins)
1/4 cup raw cacao nibs (optional)
2 tsp vanilla flavoring
2 tsp filtered water

Place the nuts and hemp seeds in a food processor fitted with the S blade and process until coarsely chopped. Remove 1/2 cup of the nuts and set aside in a small mixing bowl. Add the salt to the food processor and process until the nut are finely ground. Add the dates and process until the mixture begins to stick together. Add the cocoa and carob powders and process to incorporate. Add the chopped nuts and seeds, dried cherries (or raisins), optional cacao nibs, vanilla, and water and process briefly, until just mixed.

Pour the mixture evenly into an 8-inch glass baking dish and press down with your hand to compact. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour, or until firm to touch, and then cut into squares.

Covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator, these brownies will keep for 5 days or for 2 weeks stored in the freezer.

Submitted by Valerie McGowan. Modified from a recipe in "Raw for Dessert" by Jennifer Cornbleet

June Event

On Saturday, June 19th at 2:00 p.m., the Humboldt Vegetarian Society will host a vegan dessert tasting and cooking discussion at the Humboldt Area Foundation Community Center, 373 Indianola Road in Bayside.

This event is open to the public and is free of charge. A tea party themed potluck and dessert tasting will be followed by a roundtable discussion on preparing vegan desserts, including information on easy substitutions as well as lots of free recipes. Attendees should bring a vegan dish to share (finger foods, desserts, and/or teas are encouraged), as well as their own plates, cups, and utensils. (Vegan means no animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, gelatin, etc.)

Another Vegan Chili Recipe

Here's the chili that won the 'Best Spicy' and 'Most Unique' awards at our recent vegan chili cook-off, courtesy of Holly -

Black Bean (or Red Bean) and Sweet Potato Chili

1 bag black beans (1 lb), picked through, soaked in water and cooked until tender
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced

2-3 Tablespoons chili powder
1-2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 can (14.5 oz.) crushed organic tomatoes
3 cups water
2 medium sweet potatoes, skinned and diced into ½ inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons concentrated veggie Broth

garnishes:
juice of 1 lime
chopped fresh cilantro
green onion slices

In a large Dutch oven, sauté together oil, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, and garlic cloves until translucent and softened. Add in beans, chili powder, salt to taste, cumin to taste, black pepper, marjoram to taste, tomatoes, water and chicken flavor. Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes. Add in sweet potatoes and simmer, uncovered for another 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Winning Chili Recipe

Here's the recipe for the chili that won the 'Best Overall Chili' award at Saturday's cook-off. Thanks to Valerie for sharing it!

Valerie's Sweet ‘n Smoky 3-Bean Chili

4 large onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped

3 Tbls coconut oil

1 Tbls each mustard powder and chili powder

¼ tsp each cumin and cocoa powder

½ cup tvp granules

1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 4 oz can diced green chiles

1 baked yam, flesh scooped out, mashed

3- 15 oz cans beans(kidney, white, and black), undrained, and ½ cup water

1 cup of your favorite sweet BBQ sauce

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

2 Tbls Agave Nectar

2 Tbls Braggs Liquid Aminos(or soy sauce)

1 tsp liquid smoke

Tabasco sauce(optional)

salt(optional)

In a 5 or 6 quart kettle, cook onions, garlic, and green pepper in oil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the onions and garlic are golden and the green pepper is soft. Add tvp granules and stir until coated.

Add mustard powder and cook, stirring for one minute. Add chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, tomatoes with their liquid, chilies, mashed yam,beans and their liquid,tomato paste and BBQ sauce. Stir until well blended, then add agave, Braggs, and liquid smoke.

Reduce the heat and simmer rapidly, uncovered for about 40 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked away and the chili has thickened. Stir often to keep it from scorching.**

Season with salt to taste and enjoy with your favorite chili toppings.

Variation:

After simmering the chili for 15-20 minutes, pour entire mixture into a crock pot and cook 4-6 hours or overnight on a low to medium setting. This allows the flavors to "marry" even more and really breaks down the onions to a very soft, almost creamy consistency.

**Feel free to taste throughout the cooking process, adding more of any of the seasonings to your liking. Make it your own!

The Tart Recipe

Here's a link to the recipe for the fruit tart I brought to the cook-off yesterday, for those of you who requested it. ~Tamara

Raw Cheesecake Recipe

Kindrick was kind enough to pass along this recipe for the fabulous raw cheesecake he brought to the potluck last Friday.

I Am Cherished
CASHEW LEMON CHEESECAKE

FOR THE CRUST
2 cups almonds
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
A heaping 1/4 cup chopped dates

FOR THE FILLING
3 cups cashews soaked for 4 hours
1 1/2 cups almond milk
1 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 pinches salt
3 tablespoons lecithin
3/4 cup raw unscented coconut butter

GARNISH
Lemon zest/grated lemon peel/fruit of your choice

TO MAKE THE CRUST
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the "S" blade, process almonds, vanilla, and salt until finely crumbled. Continue processing while adding small amounts of the dates until the crust sticks together. Press crust into bottom of greased (with raw unscented coconut butter) 9 1/2-inch springform pan.

TO MAKE THE FILLING
Blend all ingredients except lecithin and coconut butter until smooth. Add lecithin and coconut butter and blend well until incorporated. Pour into the springform pan with prepared crust and set in fridge/freezer (about an hour) until firm.

Recipe from "I Am Grateful" by Café Gratitude.

(I use a little more dates and agave nectar, a little less lemon juice, and no salt, and let it set up overnight in the fridge. KO)

Strawberry Blueberry Crisp

Our garden is overflowing with strawberries! We planted about a dozen strawberry plants last year and they produced about a dozen small berries, but this year has been amazing! We also visited our favorite organic blueberry farm - Wolfsen Farms* last week and picked three pounds of delicious berries. So to incorporate these two berries I decided to make a crisp and found a recipe on Discuss Cooking by Debbie. I switched up a few ingredients. I prefer crisps to cobblers and this crisp recipe has two layers for extra crunch!

Berry crisp

1 cup uncooked oatmeal (we used muesli which contained oats, raisins, dates, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, almonds, etc.)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar (didn't have brown sugar so used 1 cup of regular sugar mixed w/ 2 tbsp of molasses)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups strawberries. 1 cup blueberries ( could just use all strawberries, or whatever other fruit you would like, probably like blackberries, or maybe just all blueberries)

Mix together oatmeal/muesli, flour, and brown sugar. Add nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly. In another bowl mix the berries and white sugar together. Butter an 8 inch square pan. Spread 1/2 the crumb mixture on bottom. cover with berries, then spread the remaining crumb mixture on top. Bake 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or till bubbly.

*Wolfsen Farms 2103 Baird Road, McKinleyville, CA. Phone: 707-839-2017. A small, family-owned organic Blueberry farm located in Humboldt County, very near the Pacific Ocean in Dows Prairie, McKinleyville.

Muhammara Bliss

(originally posted on the McFarland Designs blog)
This recipe from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's just-released new cookbook, The Vegan Table is da bomb. I made some yesterday and have been enjoying the most spectacular sandwiches ever since. Here's tonight's dinner - foccacia with muhammara, sliced avocado, chopped cucumber, and shredded carrots. It would have been good with some chopped olives on top as well.

Muhammara

2 to 3 whole roasted peppers (from jar or roasted yourself)
2/3 cup bread crumbs (see below to make your own)
1 cup walnuts, toasted
4 large garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons clover agave nectar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more for added spice)

In a blender or food processor, combine the peppers and all the remaining ingredients. Taste, and add more spice or salt as necessary. Serving suggestions and variations:

* Garnish with toasted pine nuts

* To toast walnuts, just place them on a toaster oven tray and toast for 5 minutes; watch closely or they will burn.

* Serve with pita triangles, fresh bread, crackers, chips, carrots, mushrooms, cucumber, etc.

To make your own bread crumbs: Place some bread (stale bread works great) in the oven until it’s crispy but not really browned - at 300 degrees). Let it cool, then add it to your food processor until it is reduced to crumbs. Add Italian herbs such as dried oregano, thyme, basil, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, etc. Enjoy!

To roast your own pepper: Heat the oven to 525 degrees (or use your broiler if you have one). Place peppers on an oiled cookie sheet. Roast on the highest rack for about 30 minutes or until they turn completely black. It’s not necessary to turn them. Remove them from the oven, and put them in a paper bag right away. Let them cool before handling them. The blackened skin will then just peel off after only about 10 minutes in the bag. Roasting peppers over an open flame is also a great way to do it (and you don’t need any oil). Use your gas range or grill. Use tongs and just turn over an open flame for about 10 minutes until charred. Proceed as above.