Low-Carb/Keto Jalapeno Poppers

I used to love jalapeno poppers in my pre-keto life. They always seemed like such a great comfort food and were perfect for parties. Once I began ketogenic eating, I made a decision to change my eating habits, and my focus on this had me forget about the foods I once enjoyed. Until one day, my husband asked me to make them for a potluck. And then I realized, I should make them keto. And so I did. And they were DELICIOUS!

I was super excited to do this, because I love coming up with simple, no fuss, low carb foods to eat, that gives me a change from the foods I eat on a daily basis. I have 2 kids, so making fancy 100 step meals doesn’t work for me. These poppers however, took things to a new level.

I choose the most beautiful jalapenos I could find. I’m certain I was getting stares from people while picking up each pepper, small smile on my face, looking for any imperfections. I know I probably didn’t need to spend that much time, but I was excited! And look at how beautiful they looked. As soon as I got home, I washed them, sliced them in half and made sure to take out ALL of the insides and seeds. I don’t like them spicy. If you do prefer spicy, you can leave some of the seeds and insides for a kick. Its entirely up to you!

Next I started to mix the filling. This is really simple. I put everything into a bowl and just mix it up. You don’t really need to be super precise in your measurements because you can’t go wrong with more cheese.

When you mix all the ingredients together, if you didn’t have a chance to let the cream cheese soften before using it, mixing with your hands is easier, faster, and more effective. Then, just start filling the poppers one by one and place aside on a cookie sheet. I used a small tea spoon, and filled each popper with about 1 rounded spoonful. It turned out to be just enough for all 20 halves. Have your 2 small bowls of the beaten egg and almond flour/parmesan “breading” ready, so that you can just take the filled poppers, roll them in the eggs, coat with the “breading” mixture and put on the cookie sheet.

As soon as you’re done this, pop into the oven at 375F for 20mins, or until they brown slightly. Let cool and enjoy!!

Low-carb/Keto SUPER EASY Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:

• 10 jalapenos
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 250g cream cheese
• 1 cup (divided in half) parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1/4 cup almond meal/flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Wash jalapenos thoroughly, cut off the stems and slice in half (length wise). Scrape out all the seeds and insides with a spoon. If you choose to use your fingers, wear gloves. I’ve burned the tips of my fingers before doing it without gloves.
3. Mix the garlic powder, mozzarella, cream cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan, nutmeg and salt in a bowl, until very well combined.
4. Using a small spoon, fill each jalapeno half with about 1 spoonful of the cheese mixture. Set aside. Don’t overfill the poppers, it will spill out when baking.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs together and set aside. In a separate plate, mix together the almond flour, remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, and oregano, to make the coating. Take each filled jalapeno half, roll in the egg, then into the almond meal/parmesan mixture (coating all sides), and set on a cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the poppers are a nice light to golden brown. Let cool and ENJOY!

Serves 10 (2 halves per serving)

Nutrition facts per serving (2 halves or 1 whole jalapeno):

Calories 161

Fat 12g

Carbs 3.2g, Fiber 0.7g, Net 2.5g

Protein 9.3g