Gluten Free Jalapeno Poppers

Well, I am out of town for a couple days doing some stuff and junk. Nothing exciting unfortunately. I’d actually be willing to bet that I’m stuck in traffic somewhere in the abyss of LA’s horrendous freeway system as you are reading this. It’s a fate I would not wish on anyone… But due to the magic of the internets I can still post delicious recipes for us all to enjoy (thanks Al Gore!).

I love me some jalapeno poppers. Who doesn’t? I made these over the weekend as an appetizer for our barbecue dinner. They were very time consuming to make; by the time these were done, so was dinner. They also involved a lot of dishes, which I just kinda found annoying after my 4th separate bowl, but that’s just me.

Since dinner was also ready, I grabbed two poppers to give them a try. The first was perfect. A little crunchy, cheesy and a bit of spice. The second one however required about 5 gallons of water, along with a few profane outbursts and my taste buds might never fully recovery. Don’t get me wrong, I love spicy, but this was just inappropriate. That seemed to be how the whole batch turned out, some were perfect, some caused tears and pain. If you are up for a jalapeno induced game of chance with your taste buds, these are definitely for you.

Gluten Free Jalapeno Poppers (adapted from here)

• 12 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise, stems, seeds and membranes removed
• 6 ounces cream cheese, let it set out to soften
• 1 1/2 cups grated Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or less, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 8 teaspoons homemade or bought Emeril’s Essence (recipe found here)
• 1 Cup bread crumbs (I used 1/2 cup Kinnikinnick Panko Style Bread Crumbs and 1/2 cup Schär Bread Crumbs just to make the texture more interesting)
• 1/2 Cup flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Rice Flour)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, cream together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, cumin, cayenne and paprika. Add a dash of garlic powder if you’re feeling wild.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, and milk.

In a shallow dish, combine the Gluten Free bread crumbs and 4 teaspoons of seasonings.

In a third dish, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of seasoning mix.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the middle of each jalapeno half. One at a time, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg mixture, then dredge in the Gluten Free bread crumbs, pressing to coat. If necessary, repeat the process. Place the coated peppers, cut side up, on a baking sheet covered in foil (easy clean up) and bake until the filling is runny and the crust is golden, about 30 minutes.