Pimento Cheese Jalapeño Poppers

In the spirit of The Masters, I spent my Sunday afternoon munching on pimento cheese and sipping Arnold Palmers. If I owned a green blazer I would’ve totally been wearing it… but green has never really been my color and truth be told, golf has never really been my thing. This is ironic because I grew up on a golf course- my parent’s house backs up to a tee box. In my adult age, the only “golf” I ever play is Top Golf. For those of you who don’t know what Top Golf is, let me explain. Top Golf is a multi-story (most of them are 3 stories tall) driving range that doubles as a bar. Needless to say, if there’s one in your town and you haven’t been, go!…But not until AFTER you make this recipe!

I’ve never really been a huge golf fan. I usually only watch it because either a) there’s nothing else on or b) Greg makes me and I have nothing else better to do. I try to pay attention to the game but usually end up focusing on the players looks, their outfits, or both. Well, since the Master’s is like the “super bowl of golf”  {and to keep myself entertained during Greg’s watch party} I promised I’d be on food making duty.

Did you know that pimento cheese sandwiches are famous at The Masters? Random, I know, but rumor has it this dish has been a Master’s favorite since the late 1940’s. Each year spectators at the Master’s flock to the concession stands to taste a piece of Master’s history, and at the price of $1.50 per sandwich how could anyone resist? I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever been to a professional sporting event that sells sandwiches (or anything for that matter) for a mere $1.50!

Because of this, I thought that a pimento cheese dish was the only thing that would suffice. Since all boys love bacon, and the boys I was cooking for loved the Master’s, I decided to put a spin on the Master’s traditional pimento cheese sandwiches and opted to make pimento cheese jalapeño poppers instead.

This recipe makes about two cups of pimento cheese as well as 24 pimento poppers. We ate the pimento cheese with crackers, but it can be used to make sandwiches, or placed on burgers. PS- did I mention that this is a lighter version of the classic pimento cheese you can buy pre-packaged at the store? By using weight watchers cream cheese and non-fat greek yogurt, my version only has about 115 calories per serving. That being said, please raise your Arnold Palmer and let’s toast to that!

Pimento Poppers

2014-04-14 17:49:30

Serves 10

A lighter version of traditional Southern pimento cheese stuffed in jalapenos wrapped in bacon coated with brown sugar.

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

20 min

Total Time

40 min

For Pimento Cheese

1. • 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2. • 1.5 cups fat free cheddar cheese, shredded
3. • 1 Tbs chives, diced
4. • 5 oz. fat free cream cheese (I used weight watchers cream cheese)
5. • 3/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek Yogurt (I used Greek Gods 0% plain greek yogurt)
6. • 8 oz. jarred pimentos, drained
7. • 1 tsp lemon juice
8. • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
9. • 1/4 tsp cayenne
10. • Salt & pepper to taste
11. • Jalapeño seeds for additional spice

For poppers

1. • 12 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise
2. • 10 - 12 pieces of bacon
3. • 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar

Instructions

1. • To make pimento cheese, mix all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Place finished product in an airtight container and store in refrigerator until needed.
2. • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
3. • Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove seeds. (Place jalapeño seeds in pimento cheese mixture to add additional spice). You should have 24 jalapeño halves after slicing.
4. • Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
5. • Remove pimento cheese from fridge and scoop 1 heaping teaspoon of pimento cheese into each jalapeño half. (Use more or less pimento cheese depending on size of jalapeño).
6. • Cut bacon strips in half, wrap tightly around cheese stuffed jalapeños and arrange on baking sheet face side up.
7. • Once all jalapeños have been placed on baking sheet, sprinkle 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar over jalapeños, generously covering bacon.
8. • Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until bacon is crisped to your liking.
9. • When done, remove from oven and serve immediately.

Notes

1. Pimento cheese recipe above yields 2 cups + amount needed to stuff jalapeños. Enjoy pimento cheese dip with crackers or on sandwiches.
2. 2 cups Pimento cheese: Servings: 6, Serving size 1/3 cup, Calories per serving: 115
3. Make poppers vegetarian friendly by removing bacon. Cook for same amount of time.

By God Save the Quinoa

God Save the Quinoa https://www.godsavethequinoa.com/