Roasted Garlic + Bacon JalapeƱo Poppers {Paleo + Keto}
It’s football food time! This is a big part of what I love about America. We are serious sports fans, and we even take the associated food very seriously. In fact, the food and the party are just as important as the game itself. Which is why I really look forward to the Big Game every year. Of course the food is the main event for me, and specifically all the finger foods. Our Roasted Garlic + Bacon JalapeƱo Poppers are absolutely everything that’s great about football food. Easy to eat, tons of flavor in one bite, and incredibly simple to prepare. Bring on all the snacks please.
Want more football food inspiration? Check out ourĀ Buffalo Cauliflower Bites + Football Recipe Roundup andĀ Easy Maple Toffee Pretzel Bark + How to Host a SuperBowl Party.
I have actually been wanting to share a healthier JalapeƱo Popper recipe for quite some time. I threw this one to the curb for a while once I was diagnosed withĀ Hashimoto’s, as I quit eating all nightshades. Even still I am slowly adding them back into my diet. And doing so very carefully as they can cause inflammation or flares.
Yet, I always enjoyed peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes, and eggplant. They were some of my favorite vegetables, especially when cooked intoĀ a delicious French stew. Which is why it hasn’t been easy leaving them out of my diet. But, (because there is always a but) it hasn’t stopped me from trying.Ā Thank goodness for that actually, because it led to these delicious Roasted Garlic + Bacon JalapeƱo Poppers.
My goal with all theĀ diet changes and experimentationĀ still remains getting the most nutrition out of food. I have to be much more cautious and selective about certain foods now, but I have yet to write somethingĀ off for forever. Because things change, and our bodies change. We need to be able to adapt.
I don’t think things with autoimmunity should be any different. I know many don’t agree with this philosophy, but I like to give us more credit. Even if we have some obstacles that seem insurmountable, I think our bodies want to heal. They wants to be well, and try to tell us how to get there. We just have to listen, and decipher the messages.
Even though nightshades are a tricky one, I try to reincorporate them every once so often. When I am feeling good, both physically and mentally, I experiment with foods more. Because there is still great nutrition in nightshades, and even other foods that currently cause me issues.
Not only that but maintaining nutrient diversity is incredibly important for our health. Limiting ourselves to only a few foods, that you eat over and over again, can lead to oral tolerance issues, new intolerances or sensitivities, or immune activation. All of which happened to me when I got stuck in a brutal loop of elimination diets.
This all led me back to jalapeƱos. I love spice, and even more so since I married Sauce Man (aka Garett). No surprise then that peppers would be my go-to experiment. I tried some fresh peppers from my parent’s backyard garden over the summer, during our Northern Michigan vacation on our anniversary, and here and there at home. I have found that as long as I eat them in smaller amounts, I can tolerate them pretty well. Success my friends, success.
Once this was confirmed, we got to work on creating theseĀ Roasted Garlic + Bacon JalapeƱo Poppers. They came together quickly, because we relied on a few quality products and ingredients.
It almost seems embarrassing to call these a recipe, because there isn’t much to them. However, they are full of flavor, super easy to make, and much healthier version than those you will find at most parties. I call that a win, or better yet, a touchdown.
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Roasted Garlic Bacon Wrapped JalapeƱo Poppers {Paleo + Keto}
Ingredients
- 8-10 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 6 large jalapeƱos see notes
- 1/2 cup dairy free cream cheese
- 1-2 teaspoons dairy free milk if needed
- 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped, or 1 tablespoon freeze dried
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8-12 slices sugar-free bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add peeled garlic and drizzle oil on top. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until browned and soft. Cloves should be very tender and caramelized. Set garlic aside to cool, and increase oven temperature to 400. Add a new piece of parchment to your baking sheet and set aside.
- While your garlic is roasting, prep jalapeƱos. Using gloves, cut each pepper in half lengthwise and remove all seeds. Set aside and discard gloves.
- Chop cooled garlic and transfer to a small bowl. Add cream cheese, nutritional yeast to taste, chives, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. If mixture seems too dry, add a small amount of dairy free milk.
- Fill each pepper with cheese mixture, using about 1-2 teaspoons in each, depending on the size of the pepper.
- Wrap each pepper in bacon, either using one full piece for larger peppers or a half piece for smaller peppers. Place seam side up on your baking sheet. Secure with a toothpick if the bacon won't stay wrapped.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until bacon is cooked through and browned, and peppers are tender. If you are using thicker bacon, or like a crispy brown crust like we do, turn your broiler on low. Keep an eye on the poppers and cook for a few minutes until crispy.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
**Feel free to use traditional cream cheese if you can tolerate dairy.
***We like our peppers to be tender and our bacon crispy, so we broil the poppers for a few minutes after we bake them.
Those look so swanky! I always thought of poppers as bar food but you could serve these at a fancy party.
They can be so much more than bar food! These are real food poppers, without being too fancy ?
These ingredients are a match made in heaven!! These poppers belong in my belly!
Thank you! We agree, everything works so well together!
This is such perfect game day food!! Loving this version of jalapeƱo poppers.
Thanks so much, Leigh! We agree ?
Pretttty darn sure I’d eat the whole tray of these! Such a great appetizer or snack!
Thatās exactly what we did ? they make a great snack for sure!
I love the idea of adding roasted garlic! Amazing!
It makes the dish, for sure! You will love them š