Post 1.13 - Hal E. Peño

One of my recent food addictions is stuffed jalapeño peppers. Hot peppers of any type, hotter than our usual bell peppers in the US, just didn't agree with me. The heat of peppers comes from organic acids, usually contained in the seeds and more liquid centers of the peppers. Even tomatoes have a certain amount of acidity in their seeds. Having learned that seeded tomatoes do not seem to impact my digestive system, I've tried the same thing with some of the hotter peppers, and a whole new world of flavors has opened up to me.

So stuffed jalapeños are just what they sound like. Most fillings tend to be sweet or creamy, but I plan to experiment with different combinations in upcoming weeks. If you ever bought stuffed jalapeños from a restaurant, they tend to be breaded and deep-fried, and filled with cream cheese, possibly other cheeses, and spices. While tasty, there are are definitely healthier alternatives.

With luck, this will be the last recipe I provide that includes dairy, which I'll discuss more in my next food post. But this recipe is definitely healthier than what you may find in a restaurant. First, it is baked, not fried. Second, instead of breading the peppers, they are wrapped in bacon, and I use turkey bacon for a further savings in salt and fat. Finally, I use reduced fat cheeses in the filling, but with the combination of flavors, you won't miss the calories.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers
12 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 8-oz package of reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup of reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese (I use a Mexican blend of cheeses, but use what you like)
1/4 cup diced green onions
12 slices of tukey bacon, sliced in half
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a medium baking sheet with foil and set aside.
  2. Whip the cream cheese until fluffy and blend in the remaining cheeses and green onion.
  3. Stuff each jalapeño with the cheese mixture and wrap each half pepper with a half slice of bacon.
  4. Arrange the peppers in a single layer on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake the peppers in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until bacon is evenly browned and crisp.
Some friends who have worked with jalapeño peppers have found that they can give off what I'll describe as heated fumes -- the organic acid gets airborne, essentially, and can result in some difficulty in the scent as well as for the eyes. If you're concerned about this, you can soak the peppers in an half inch of boiling water in a skillet over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, drain and let cool. The peppers will be softer and bit more difficult to work with when stuffing, but it will cut the heat a bit.

Have a question or a suggestion for a future topic? E-mail me at facetsblog@gmail.com.
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Post 2.7 - American Dreams

This article isn't going to make me any friends. In fact, I might even lose a few readers. I know it will surprise a great many of you. In any case, I urge you to read the entire article, and engage me in the comments if you disagree. That's what this experiment is supposed to be about. On May 14th, Arizona State University held their hispanic convocation, graduating Latino students. Many of these students are illegal immigrants, and were concerned about their prospects following graduation as they would not only have difficulty finding work in this economy, but by law, are not permitted to work. Many of these students explained to local news reporters that they were brought here as children by their parents, and had no choice in the matter. The same week, the DREAM Act was re-introduced in Congress, and if passed, would give these students a path to citizenship. The DREAM act website lists the following criteria for conditional permanent residency, should the act be passe
Read more

On Free Speech

Much has been made in the last year or two regarding free speech in the United States. The United States is one of the few countries where the freedom of speech is codified in the constitution. It might surprise many Americans to know that Europeans do not enjoy the same latitude. For one example, in France, it is illegal to deny the Jewish holocaust. However, in the United States, the right to free speech is also not clearly understood. Many colleges and universities, most notably the University of California at Berkeley, have been in the news for their response to controversial speakers coming to their campuses. UC-Berkeley has invited then disinvited speakers across the spectrum, and in cases where they have not, there has sometimes been violent protest against the presence of these speakers. I strongly disagree with violence of any kind in response to an individual speaker, but I certainly understand and support the right to protest. There are some in this discourse who do no
Read more

Post 1.2 - Veggie Tales

Part of the way I have tried to adjust my diet is adding significantly more vegetables. They are a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and texture, and some of the recipes can be heavenly. I recently made a Moroccan dish called a tagine, which was comprised completely of vegetables and fruits - parsnips, turnips, onion, carrots, apricots and prunes, plus a collection of spices. A tagine is the name of the cooking vessel, but also the name of the dish - although in my case, I prepared it using a slow cooker. At 131 calories per serving, it makes a filling, satisfying, low-calorie side dish, as well as a small meal in its own right, if you so choose. I like the recipe as written , but my mother has asked me to make it without the cayenne pepper. It takes a little time, so I told her I would make it without it the next time, but if I didn't like it, I would go back to making it the regular way - cuz it's for me . :-P Generally speaking, though, the challenge for me has
Read more