Fresh green chiles have twice as much vitamin C as citrus fruit. Vitamin C breaks down when chiles are processed, but canned and frozen chiles still retain a high percentage. Red chiles contain high levels of Vitamin A which is retained even when chiles are dried. One teaspoon of dried red chile provides the daily minimum requirement for Vitamin A, while one ounce of fresh green chile provides the minimum daily requirement of Vitamin C.
I use the milder long green chiles almost daily in my cooking. I use them in place of bell peppers because I prefer the flavor. I have to use canned or frozen ones except during the summer when I grow my own in the garden. In addition to making chiles rellenos, salsa, and other Mexican recipes, I also use them in squash casserole, spaghetti sauce, crawfish etoufee, potato soup, and in tuna salad and salmon croquettes. Just use your imagination and you can come up with many uses for them. They are readily available in every grocery store. The Old El Paso brand is common here, but I have seen many other brands in other places, such as Ortega. Bueno foods also packages them frozen in large containers.
For more information on chiles, both fresh and dried, visit Jane Butel's Pecos Valley Spice Company's Chile Lover's page.
FAVORITE GREEN CHILE RECIPES
GREEN CHILE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
12 - 18 corn tortillas
1/2 c. oil
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. butter or margarine
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