Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

 

I decided to make some of these up for Super Bowl 50 pig out time.  You have probably seen a hundred versions of this on the internet, so I modified things a bit.

 

10 Jalapeno Peppers

8oz Cream Cheese (solftened)

1 Cup shredded Cheddar-Jack Cheese

10 strips of bacon cut in half

3 Green Onions (scallions) finely chopped

1 TBSP favorite Hot Sauce

1 TBSP favorite Cajun seasoning

 

Instructions

 

1.       Pre-heat Oven to 375 degrees (you can also do theses peppers in a smoker.  They will take approximately 3-3 ½ hours at 225-240 degrees)

2.       In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and shredded cheese until well blended.  Add chopped onions, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning and mix to combine.  Set aside.

3.       Slice stems off jalapenos and cut each pepper in half lengthwise.  Using a spoon, scrape out the seeds and membranes of the pepper halves.

4.       Stuff the pepper halves with the cheese mixture.

5.       Wrap each pepper half with one half of a bacon slice and place each pepper half on a baking rack over a walled cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.  This is to catch the bacon drippings and keep the bacon crisp as the fat renders.

6.       Cook for about 45 minutes or until bacon is crisp.

7.       Dip in Ranch dressing, salsa or eat them plain.

Enjoy, they do not last long at a party.  I had some of the cheese stuffing left and it went great on crackers or celery sticks.

High Protein Healthy Smoked Chicken Sandwich

Need a high protein sandwich to get you through the afternoon?  I made this recipe up when I was trying to think of something to get me through my son's baseball double header.  I didn't want to cave to the concession stand fried menu.  I just happened to have smoked up a couple of chickens the day before, so I didn't have to think too hard on what I was going to make. Here is the recipe.

• Whole wheat THIN sandwich flat bread rounds
• 1/2 cup baby spinach
• 1 Wholly Guacamole 100 calorie cups
• Carved Smoked Chicken breast

1.  Spread the guacamole on both pieces of flat bread.
2.  Stack on the baby spinach.
3.  Add the Smoked Chicken breast.

I am sure turkey or other meats would work great with this quick sandwich.  Purple onion and tomato slices would add an extra layer of goodness.  This should keep you full for several hours.

Grilled Vegetables

One of my favorite grill recipes is assorted grilled vegetables.  The best thing about it is not only the grilled smoky flavor, but your can use pretty much any vegetable that is in season.  A couple of key gadgets you will need are a Vegetable Grill Basket/perforated Grill Wok and a spatula for keeping the vegetables from charring.  These items can be purchased pretty much anywhere that sells cooking supplies or grills.  The following recipe is one I came up with and use as a base.  I make add a different vegetable now and then to keep it different.

2-3 Zucchini squash

2-3 Yellow Summer Squash

1 Purple onion

8 oz. Sliced Mushrooms

Garlic Powder to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra Virgin Olive oil

1.   Preheat/Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for high heat.

2.    Slice zucchini and yellow squash into rounds and place in a large bowl (I use a mandolin slicer so all the squash discs cook evenly. 

3.    Add mushrooms.

4.    Cut up the onion in medium size chunks and add to bowl.  Depending on the size of the onion, I usually just peel and quarter the only and separate the layers.

5.   Pour enough Olive oil over the vegetables to coat them and mix the vegetables together by hand until all pieces are covered with oil.
  
6.    Add garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste and mix again.

7.    Once the grill is hot, place vegetable grill over the hottest part of the flame and pour in the vegetables.

 8.   Close the lid on the grill to let the smoke flavor the vegetables.9.      Keep an eye on the vegetables, stirring frequently so the vegetables do not stick or char.

10.  When vegetables are cooked to the firmness of your choice, remove from the grill and pour the vegetables back into the mixing bowl you used earlier.

        Serve hot with the meat or poultry of choice or over a bed of flavored rice (herb and chicken for example) or curried couscous (Near East is one of my go to quick cook couscous brands.)

Variations:  Add chopped asparagus, small cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs like oregano, basil or thyme.  You can substitute your favorite seasoning also.  I like Cajun seasoning for this recipe a lot. 

Have fun and don’t be afraid to add whatever vegetable you like.  However, I don’t think root vegetables or raw potato will work well here.  They are best oven roasted.

Oven Jerk Chicken

I know, the Blog is called "Grilled Meats and Good Eats" but sometimes you just don't have the time to fire up the grill with all the activities and curve balls life throws at you.  So for this recipe I am going to offer up an oven version of Jerk Chicken.  First you are going to need some chicken.  It doesn't matter whether you use a whole cut up chicken, all thighs, legs or just the breast.  Just get some chicken and you will be good.  I prefer skin on, since it keeps the chicken moist while cooking, ovens are a dry heat you know.  Next you will need a good Jerk sauce or paste.  There are plenty recipes on the web if you want to make your own. Two of my favorite off the shelf or mail order Jerk sauces and pastes are  Mi Hungry BBQ and Jamaican Cuisine Hot and Spicy Jerk Sauce and Walkers Wood Jerk Paste.  Walkers Wood is excellent and I brought several jars home from Jamaica.  Be careful though, Walkers Wood can be pretty darned hot.  They use good old fashion kick your butt Scotch Bonnet peppers in their paste.  Remember to wash your chicken good under cold water and pat dry with a towel.  You never know who or what has been fondling your chicken.  From there, just follow the steps below.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
3. Place a baking rack on top of the foil.
4. lather up your bird with the Jerk sauce of your choice (pull up the skin gently and wiggle a finger under the skin to make a pocket then make sure some sauce gets under the skin.)
5. Bake, basting every 15 or 20 minutes with sauce.
6. When your chicken breast reach 165 degrees F, (use a meat thermometer) they are done.  If using legs or thighs, they should read 180 degrees F.
7. Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes or so and dive in. Save some sauce for dipping your chicken pieces into as you eat.
8. Serve with some sweet potatoes or come cool mixed fruit salad.

You can get both of my recommended sauces/pastes off the internet.  A Google search will get you there.  I found the Mi Hungry sauce at Dierberg's Market here in St. Louis, Missouri.  Feel free to let me know what you think of the chicken.  Of course, use a grill to add a smokey flavor if weather and time permits.  I recommend setting up a charcoal grill for indirect heating (coals on one side), searing the chicken off directly over the coals, then moving them over to the side with no coals for the remainder of the cook time.  Hope you enjoy.