Football season means appetizers galore. Get your next viewing party "popping" with these flavor-packed, crunchy Bacon & Cheese Jalapeno Poppers! (Scroll to the bottom of the post for a printable PDF version of the recipe!)
Ingredients:
- Jalapeno peppers
- Cream cheese
- Egg
- Breading
- Wrapped in bacon
- Deep-fried in oil!
Changes Made:
- Jalapeno peppers
- Cream cheese: Used fat-free (fat-free works well in baked recipes), also added low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- Egg: Used egg substitute
- Breading: Used seasoned panko (coarse) breadcrumbs
- Wrapped in bacon: Incorporated bacon bits into filling
- Deep-fried in oil! Baked in hot oven to eliminate excess fat and calories from oil absorption
Nutrition Facts Face-Off!
Bacon & Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers (Printable PDF Version)
Makes twenty poppers
Ingredients
- 10 jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
- ½ cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup real bacon bits
- 1/3 cup egg substitute
- ½ cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
- In a small bowl, mix cream cheese with shredded cheddar cheese. Evenly spoon and spread mixture into pepper halves (about 1 tablespoon per pepper half).
- Place egg substitute in another wide bowl. Carefully coat pepper halves with egg substitute, then roll both sides in breadcrumbs. Place on baking sheet, filling side up.
- Bake until peppers are golden, about 30 - 35 minutes, then broil for 1-2 minutes until crisped on top.
Today's post was written by Leia Kedem. Leia Kedem, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and Nutrition & Wellness Educator covering Champaign, Ford, Iroquois, and Vermilion Counties. She appears weekly on WCIA-3/WCIX-49 and is a biweekly contributor to the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette. She also maintains Facebook and Twitter accounts where she regularly posts health tips and answers nutrition questions for free.