Of all the stories and memories we have from growing up, the funniest ones are probably the ones involving our dad, Papi. He's just one of those people who can make you laugh, without even trying. He has also mastered the art of driving our mom absolutely crazy, which is actually pretty funny to watch! Every time they come to visit, is like watching a sitcom right in our own living room.
And the one skit we get to watch every single time, is the one about the jalapeño peppers. Sounds kind of odd, doesn't it? Well, the thing is, Papi LOVES spicy food. All kinds. But he has this almost obsession with jalapeño peppers. And every time they're here visiting, two things happen:
1) First thing Papi wants to do as soon as they land, is go pick up a gigantic bag of jalapeños from the Produce Junction
2) Before they leave, he wants to stop by the store and buy a gigantic bag to take home
And both drive our mom totally insane. Every. Single. Time. All we can do really, is laugh.
Last time Papi was here (by himself this time) we had so many jalapeños at home, that we had to figure out what to do with them. And while he's perfectly content eating them raw with some chopped tomatoes, cilantro, lemon juice and olive oil, we wanted to switch it up for him a little bit.
Looking for some ideas online, we found a lot of recipes for jalapeño poppers. Which looked very good, but since our dad has to watch his diet a little bit (whether he wants to admit it or not), we needed to come up with a version without cholesterol and low in saturated fat. Something a little more "heart health friendly".
So we immediately though, GO Veggie! The cream cheese alternative and Shreds would work beautifully here! Our only issue was going to be getting our dad to actually try it.
The thing is, when it comes to food, Papi is a purist. Meat is meat. And cheese is cheese. There are no substitutes. No pretend stuff. The good thing is, however, as stubborn as he can be, he will always agree to try something new at least once. And that's how we got him. And guess what, he tried it more than once... and more than twice! A complete success.
This comes to show you that, whether you have to stay away from dairy because you have to watch your cholesterol and saturated fat intake, or have dietary sensitivities, or just want to eat a little bit healthier, you don't have to give up the good stuff. I guess that why GO Veggie! is "the cheese free cheese for people who love cheese" 😉
And, it's Papi approved 🙂
Enjoy!
Vegan Plantain Stuffed Jalapeños
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 20 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large ripe yellow plantain
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp GO Veggie! Dairy Free Plain Cream Cheese alternative
- 10 jalapeño peppers
- 1/4 cup GO Veggie Dairy Free Mexican Style Shreds ( approximately 1 tsp per 1/2 jalapeño )
- Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil
- Cut the ends of the plantain and slice the peel as shown in the picture below. Bake on lined baking sheet for 30 minutes
- In the meantime, cut jalapeño peppers in half length wise and remove seeds and membrane
- Remove plantain from oven and reduce temperature to 325F. Set aside until it's cool enough to handle
- Scoop plantain and mash it in a bowl. Add cream cheese, chili powder and salt and mix well
- Stuff each jalapeño half with plantain mixture. Top with each half with 1 tsp of shreds and bake at 325F for 20 minutes
- Garnish with cilantro (optional)
Notes
After removing the seeds and membranes of the jalapeño peppers make sure you wash your hands thoroughly and avoid touching your eyes, nose or lips.
This post was sponsored by GO Veggie! All opinions are our own.
cindele says
This looks so yummy and I love to find ways to use plantains. I may wimp out and use pablamo peppers instead..not sure I can do the hot ones! I love your stories about Papi-
★★★★
Jenny @ BAKE says
I love stuffed jalapenos! these look just fantastic!