Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Generally around 8:00 at night, all things fatty and fried sound good to me. I think there is a connection, for me, between being bored and craving junk food. By 8:00 or 8:30 my son is in bed (well, let's be honest, sometimes it's not until 9 or 9:30), and the day is winding down. My husband usually busies himself with the internet or a home improvement task or his guitar and I sit around and read or watch TV, but mostly think about junk food. Usually I'm not hungry, but I think about it anyway! I did find, a while ago, that when I gave up refined sugar completely these cravings went away... but, unfortunately, living a life that is completely sugar-free is just a journey I'm ready to embark on!

If I have calories left or the motivation, I generally first dream about I want to eat in a calorie-free world, then I wonder if I can make it myself.  Over the years, this process has led to homemade mozzarella sticks, sweet and sour chicken, pork dumplings, gooey nachos, and chicken wings, just to name a tiny few.  Well last night I wanted jalapeno poppers.  Since I'm on spring break, it is completely okay to undergo such a task at 8:00 at night!

Now, if you don't care about calories or fat and want some real, fried, delicious poppers, THIS recipe is the best!  I have made it before and the husband and I devoured them.

Last night I found THIS recipe from RecipeGirl.com which features baked poppers. The best part? Four poppers is only 110 calories!  My version of the recipe is below:

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

POPPERS:
1/3 cup whipped cream cheese
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (packed) grated Monterey Jack Cheese (2 ounces)
1-2 tablespoons minced green onions

1 Tbsp real bacon bits
12 medium fresh jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded and deveined
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir together the cheeses green onion, and bacon bits. Fill each jalapeño half with 2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture.

2. On a plate, combine the flour, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and the water to combine. On another plate combine the breadcrumbs with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, the paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.

3. Dip each jalapeño half in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg wash, and finally in the bread crumb mixture, shaking off the excess.

4. Place the coated jalapeños, cut-side-up, onto the prepared baking sheet and spray lightly to coat with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and crisp and the cheese has melted, about 30 minutes.

Nutritional Information per serving:
Serving size: 4 poppers
Calories per serving: 110
Fat per serving: 9g
Saturated Fat per serving: 3.5g
Fiber per serving: 2g
Protein per serving: 6g
Cholesterol per serving: 45mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 8g

WW POINTS per serving:
Points Plus Program: 4 Old Points Program: 3

The review?

First of all, don't be intimidated by the recipe. It's really easy. The worst part is deveining the peppers (if you have sensitive nasal passages like I do). Also, baking the peppers takes out some of the heat.  

These are absolutely delicious.  I would check them around 20-25 minutes though. I set the timer to 30 minutes then went back to watching a DVR'd episode of Khloe and Lamar. When the timer went off, the cheese had oozed out and the peppers were a little limp. This did not affect the flavor at all. They were SO good.  We dipped them in a little sweet and sour sauce. The bacon bits was a good addition because the flavor really came out and it only added about 2 calories per pepper.  They are, of course, the best when fried, but this will definitely do in a fix! My husband said he would definitely eat them again.