BAKED JALAPENO POPPERS

Click below to listen to Chefs Jackie and Jeff talk about these recipes and tips:



You can make your own jalapeno poppers right at home, and they don't have to come out of a box frozen. Make them fresh, bake them without all the frying oil and serve them hot out of the oven or cooled and from the fridge. They're unique and delicious!

BAKED JALAPENO POPPERS

Courtesy of Chef Jeff Calley © 2012

Ingredients:

16 oz can pickled jalapenos (with carrots, onions), reserve 2 tablespoons of juice
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Remove the cream cheese from the fridge 20 minutes before preparing this dish, so it's a room temperature.

Set you oven to 350 degrees. Open and drain the can of jalapenos, reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice. Slice the peppers lengthwise, leaving the stems attached to one half. Remove and discard the seeds and membranes of the peppers. Lay the peppers out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Dice one half of the carrots and onions and add them along with the 2 tablespoons of juice to the cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Stir to incorporate in a smooth mixture. Fold in the shredded cheddar cheese. Put the mixture into a plastic zip lock food bag and seal it. Cut the tip off one corner of the bag and pipe the cream cheese filling into the jalapeno halves. Lay the remaining pieces of onion and carrots across the poppers decoratively.

Bake for 20 minutes.