Jalapeno Poppers with a Twist!

Our backyard garden has been doing really well this summer. One of the crops that we have had an abundance of is jalapenos. We love spicy food so we had no problem adding jalapenos to salsa and some of our other favorite recipes. However, we had so many that my mom and I just knew that we needed to find a dish where the jalapenos could be the star.

Enter jalapeno poppers.

These aren't just any jalapeno poppers, though. The primary difference is they are not overflowing with cheese or fried.

Let's take a look at how these were made.

Grab a bunch of jalapenos and cut them in half. I think that I used 12 jalapenos, giving me 24 halves.

The hottest parts of the jalapeno are the seeds and the white membrane inside. Use a spoon and scrape this out. If you're feeling wimpy, you can put gloves on. If you're brave and use no gloves, just make sure to aggressively wash your hands before you even think of touching your eyes. Trust me on this one.

Here's a shot in the middle of the de-seeding process.

When I was making this I should have taken more pictures, but I was hungry and excited and got a little distracted. Turn your BBQ on to heat up. While it is heating, grab some goat cheese and prosciutto. Take a spoonful of goat cheese and place it inside the jalapeno half. Then, take a slice of prosciutto and wrap it around the goat cheese stuffed jala-jala-peno. Use can use a toothpick to secure. I did on some, but then got tired of the extra step.

Continue with all of your halves. You can do all the cheese, then all of the prosciutto, or you can go cheese, meat, cheese, meat. Whatever makes you happy!

Place these little babies on the grill, cheese side up. Let them brown and carmelize a little bit. Flip over for about a minute. You don't want your cheese to melt right out of the half.

Finished product:
Verdict: Yum. Double yum.

The creamy goat cheese and the salty (nitrate-free) meat really balance well with the heat from the pepper. If (and when) I make this again, I will use a little bit less goat cheese. Maybe 1-2 teaspoons per half.

Remember, people - moderation for life. It's okay to have a goat cheese-filled, meat-wrapped jalapeno every once in a while. And you can afford to have a few if it's grilled and not fried! :)

Mary