Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

I do not usually attend Super Bowl parties but when I do my motivation for doing so is more for the social aspects and, ah, the food.  In fact, of all the glutinous days (Christmas, Thanksgiving), I think the Super Bowl beats them all.  I just can't see "Super Bowl favorites made healthy" as a big draw. 

In the weeks leading up to the big event I browse the internet and drool over pictures of oozing cheese, crisp bacon, glazed chicken wings, etc.  So diet the week before and after.  In fact, diet at Christmas and Thanksgiving and save the calories for the comfort food that counts - the Super Bowl party food.

I will start you out with these Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers.  They are one of my favorites but if you do not like the peppers you can just make the filling and serve it warm with chips. 

For this recipe I started out with 24 jalapenos, 12 green and 12 red.  They were very large, at least 3 inches in length.  There was only a small amount of filling left though not for long because I heated it up and ate it then and there with some chips.

These are best made the day before you plan to cook them so the filling can firm up before you cook them.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces shredded Mexican blend cheese
2 processed American cheese slices
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (or chili powder)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
24 large jalapeno peppers
1 pound thinly sliced bacon

One day ahead:  Put the cheeses in a bowl an set aside to come to room temperature. 

Cut a slit in each pepper from stem to bottom.  Hold the pepper open in your palm and scrape out the seeds.  (I like to leave some membrane for heat).   I use the small paddle end of a lobster pick for this task. 

Blend the cheeses together. Add the chili powder and cumin and continue to blend.  Add 1/2 the beans and stir them in.  Add the rest of the beans and stir them in.  Some will get mashed but you want texture.  Stuff the peppers with the cheese mixture.

Wrap the peppers in bacon, covering the slit as much as possible.  Put in the fridge overnight so the filling and bacon can firm back up. 

Heat a large non stick skillet (or two) to medium.  Add the peppers, filling side down.  Cook and turn so the bacon browns on all sides and the peppers get nice and tender.  This will take about 20 minutes.  Serve warm.










 



1 comment:

  1. My serving was a green and red popper, similar to the bottom picture of this post.
    I started with the green popper. With the first bite there was a slow burn but it was very flavorful. After waiting a bit I finished off the green popper and found the heat come back but it wound up being a great popper. The red popper started out with a slow heat with the first bite and my lips started to burn. After waiting a while I finished off the red popper. At this point the gradual heat increased to bring me tears and a flushed face. It was wonderful, if you are into those kind of pepper experiences! The bacon and cheeses brought out great flavor in both peppers! I recommend green for everyday and the red if you are feeling brave. They bring great choices to address Super Bowl machismo on game day!

    ReplyDelete

Comments welcome! I look forward to hearing from you!