Jalapeno Popper

 

We love to nibble on spicy Jalapeno poppers. I don’t so much prefer the store bought ones, for they are very mild, deep fried and hence loaded with extra fat, breaded which makes them carb heavy.So I definitely had to come up with a healthier version if I wanted to accommodate them on my plate without much of guilt.

This is my entry into JFI for August hosted by Saffron Trail.

These chilies are hot and you definitely need gloves if you wish to keep your hands cool. If incase you did set your hands on fire make sure to check my tips section to see how you can soothe your hands.

What you need
12 Jalapeno Peppers
1 cup shredded cheddar Jack cheese
1/4 non fat cup sour cream
6 prosciutto slices cut in half (thus yielding 12 wraps) / you can also use bacon instead.
If you like zucchini, you can make thin slices of them with a vegetable peeler and use instead of prosciutto.

How to make
Make a slit in the chilly carefully so as to not to cut the chilly into two.
With your figure tips put a little pressure on top and tip of the chilly so you can widen the slit.
Remove the seeds and ribs from the chilly – you can use a small spoon to core the ribs and seeds.
Chilies should now will look like this:With a spoon put a small dollop of sour cream and spread it so it coats all the inside walls.
My logic in doing so is that it will help melt the cheese evenly.
Now fill a spoonful of shredded cheese and press firmly.
Wrap around a prosciutto and secure with a tooth pick.
If You want to go vegetarian use the zucchini slices for wrap around or continue to grilling without a wrap.
Heat the grill on medium high, spray a few spritz of oil and grill these for about 3-4 minutes.
Turn and grill on the other side for 3-4 minutes.
Timing may vary, but Jalapeno’s should be cooked, so that they are soft to touch and have few blisters.
Now turn the heat to low and cover with a foil tent and allow the cheese to settle for about 2-3 minutes.
When not grilling them on the grill, I just use a grill pan that I can use over the cooking range.
With a grill pan it takes a little longer to cook. A work around could be to grill the plain cored chilies a bit then cool, stuff and wrap them and re grill them.