Low-Fat or Not Chili Poppers

[shel]

I got this recipe from my friend Becky a few years ago. Every now and the I return to it and make some variation of it. You can use a regular or low fat cream cheese - generally I use a regular fat natural cream cheese. I'll often add some smoked paprika, either to the stuffing or to the batter. Maybe a dash or two of cayenne.

Wash 15 small green jalapenos and make a T-shaped slit on one side. Remove the seeds and rinse the inside of the chili. Set aside.

For the stuffing mixture, you’ll need:

3 green onions, minced
1/2 white onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon chili powder (or less)
8 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened

Mix all of the ingredients together until combined. Stuff a small spoonful of the mixture into each jalapeno. Set aside.

For the batter:

Combine one small box of cornbread mix with two egg whites, and 1/3 cup of non-fat milk. Mix well and then dip the stuffed peppers into the batter. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Let them cool slightly and then enjoy!

Shel

[allie]

I haven't tried baking or deep frying them but we make a variation of those on the smoker or charcoal grill quite frequently. We've used cream cheese with Les's dry rub, cream cheese with crab and green onions, or cream cheese with pineapple and you wrap it in bacon.

I love poppers but don't like to eat a lot of fried foods so this would be perfect!

[shel]

Glad that the recipe may be helpful. I'd never had poppers before, so Becky's were the first, and hers were quite enjoyable. One thing I've done is to bake the poppers on a rack set in the baking sheet. It seems to allow for better heat circulation.

I've used poblano peppers for this, but they're larger than jalapenos, so I call 'em "munchers" because they're too big to just pop into my mouth.

Kind rergards,

Shel