Poppin’ Stuffed Peppers

I grew up with sisters really close in age to me. One twin, and one just a year older. As you can imagine, we spent a lot of time together growing up. Plenty of evenings were spent meandering through Blockbuster (ugh, those days!), only to pick a movie we’d already seen a million times before.

Post movie rental, it was time to secure the snacks. If we made a stop at the grocery store, I loved picking up some jalapeno poppers. There were never enough in a box for the three of us, and I was always left wanting more! Something about the creaminess of the inside with the spice of the jalapeno that really did it for me.

Actually, still does – only now, a little differently.

A lot of the recipes I come up with are tweaks on foods that I have loved forever. I am a creature of habit, but I’m also down to recreate foods that meet my needs today. That means dairy free + easily digestible. Ya feel me?

I know tofu isn’t everyone’s favourite, but I really hope that it isn’t a deal breaker for you, because it really is the perfect ingredient to substitute the usual cream cheese with. If you can’t stand it though, you could try swapping cashew cheese. Just know: I haven’t tried that method, so I can’t vouch for it.

What I can vouch for is the fact that tofu really nails the texture needed here. And as us tofu lovers know, it basically just absorbs whatever flavours it mingles with.

Get ready to delight your taste buds…

This recipe is vegan & gluten free.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 mini sweet peppers
• 1 container medium tofu
• 3 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1/2 TSP onion powder
• 1 TSP garlic powder
• 2 TSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP pickled jalapeno + 1 TSP pickled jalapeno juice
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1/4 TSP paprika
• pinch of cayenne *optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut tops off peppers – depending on the size of the peppers you should be able to fill about 10-12, so prepare about that many. Place peppers on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes, take the peppers out and let them cool. Usually 5-10 minutes does the trick – just make sure they are easy to handle so you can stuff them easily. You can turn the oven off, but know you will have to reheat it to 350 once again once the peppers are stuffed.

To assemble the filling, add all remaining ingredients to a food processor and mix on high until smooth. If you want more heat, add a pinch of cayenne – or more if you can handle it!

Fill the peppers using a small spoon; make sure you get it right to the bottom! Once stuffed, place back in the oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the peppers should soft enough to chew without a crunch, and the exposed part of the filling should be slightly golden.

Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before devouring.

Notes:

If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix the filling in a small blender, although this might take a little more effort on your part to ensure it is mixed well.

If you don’t have either you can mix the ingredients by hand, but the texture won’t be the same. That being said, the flavors will still all be present and might be worth a shot! Don’t forget to finely dice your jalapeno ahead of time if you decide to do it by hand.

Your dip options are endless – salsa, spicy mayo, ranch, or my choice: homemade guacamole! The coolness of guacamole with the heat of these peppers is divine.

I have a feeling these Poppin’ Stuffed Peppers would please a crowd – who doesn’t love delicious bite-sized snacks? If I watched sports I might even make these as a game day treat!

But since I don’t, it looks like I’ll continue to enjoy these during my (very) regularly scheduled movie nights.

Planning on making these? I can’t wait to see your version! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @standingstrongwellness in your pictures so I can see how they turn out!