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I am crazy about all things hot and spicy. While many people only pull out fiery tongue tinglers for their weekly taco Tuesday, you’ll find me toting these blistering condiments to the table on a day-to-day basis, from breakfast through dinner.
Vegan tofu scramble is better with a dash of hot sauce.
Noodle stir-fry is sassier with sriracha.
Gyoza are best dipped in hot Chinese mustard.
Sandwiches have kick with sliced jalapeño peppers or served with a side of hot pickled asparagus.
And of course, saag aloo is divine with the request, “I’d like it hot, please.”
I think the only meal that isn’t improved upon when served with something scorching is dessert, but I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.
That’s why when I saw that this week’s Vegan MoFo-hosted Iron Chef Challenge involved making a recipe using the ingredient breadcrumbs, I knew I needed to bust out a vegan version of an old pregan classic – jalapeño poppers.
Even before I went vegan, it had probably been years since I’d indulged in poppers, but the memory was clear. There’s the crisp breading with a creamy inside followed by a hit of heat and bite from the pepper.
It’s no wonder that they’re loved throughout diners, sports bars, and anywhere icy cold Mexican beer with lime is served. Clearly the only thing left to do was to make them vegan-friendly.
A creamy and salty cashew cheese takes the place of the standard cream cheese, followed by a breading of flour and breadcrumbs, and then baked in the oven.
It surprised me how much hotter these fresh poppers are than the frozen ones of yore. They have a crisp lightness about them and a real no-nonsense sensibility.
They would be an excellent addition to a party appetizer platter or to serve alongside a mild and creamy potato soup.
Cashew Cheese Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked 4-12 hours in water
- 1 Tablespoon white miso paste
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast divided
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano chopped
- 4 to 5 large jalapenos sliced in half length-wise and seeded
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano divided
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme divided
- 3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic divided
- 3/4 teaspoon granulated onion divided
- ½ cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Blend drained raw cashews, miso, 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast, and extra virgin olive oil in food processor. Stop occasionally to scrape down sides. Once smooth, add fresh basil and oregano and blend until fully combined.
- For slicing and seeding jalapenos, remember to wear gloves. After they’re sliced and seeded, fill the cavities of each jalapeno pepper half with cashew cheese. (Don’t worry too much if the cheese plumps over the top of each half. It will still cook fine without falling out.)
- Prepare the breading station. Combine rice milk and cornstarch in a shallow bowl. On a separate plate combine flour and ¼ teaspoon each of dried oregano, dried thyme, granulated onion, and granulated garlic. On another plate combine breadcrumbs, 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast, and ½ teaspoon each dried oregano, dried thyme, granulated onion, and granulated garlic.
- To make the baked version, dredge a cashew-cheese stuffed jalapeno in the flour mixture, sealing the cashew cheese into the cavity. Then dip the jalapeno into the milk mixture. Finally, coat it in the breadcrumb plate. Press the crumbs onto the pepper until fully covered. Set aside and repeat with each pepper until they’re all coated. Place the peppers on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake the peppers for 30 minutes. (Optional) For further browning, after they’ve finished baking move the peppers to a broiling pan and broil them at a medium heat for 2 minutes. Keep an eye on them to be sure that they brown and don’t burn. Remove from oven and serve.
- To make the baked then fried version, dredge a cashew-cheese stuffed jalapeno in the flour mixture, sealing the cashew cheese into the cavity. Then dip the jalapeno in the milk mixture. Dip the jalapeno in the flour mixture for a second time. Then dip the jalapeno in the milk mixture a second time. Finally, move the jalapeno to the breadcrumb plate and fully coat it with crumbs. Set aside and repeat with each pepper until they’re all coated. After all of the peppers are coated, give each of them one final dredging in the flour mixture. Place the peppers on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake the peppers for 30 minutes. When the peppers are almost done, heat a large skillet with a small amount of neutral oil, like canola oil. After the peppers are finished baking in the oven, move them to the skillet and lightly fry them for 3-4 minutes or until they are browned. Remove them from the skillet and serve.
Nutrition
Rose says
November 13, 2011 at 5:58 pmI’ve never had a jalapeno popper, but they sound great!
chow vegan says
November 13, 2011 at 9:19 pmOMG! Those look so good! I love that they’re baked too! 🙂
A Tablespoon of Liz says
November 14, 2011 at 10:08 amThese look so good! Just looking at the photos is making me hungry!
Vic (The Life) says
November 14, 2011 at 12:39 pmWhoa! Those look amazing!
http://haymarket8.blogspot.com
cadryskitchen says
November 15, 2011 at 7:21 amThanks, Chow, Liz, and Vic!
Andrea says
November 14, 2011 at 5:09 pmWhen I first saw the photo, an involuntary, “oh my gosh” escaped my lips. These would be the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner, as my family can’t seem to get enough spice.
cadryskitchen says
November 15, 2011 at 7:19 amFantastic! I love that! Since they are made with fresh peppers, they’re definitely not for the hot-phobic. It sounds like you and your family would be perfect candidates for the challenge! 🙂
Kittee Bee Berns says
November 14, 2011 at 6:38 pmwhoa, hot!!! i can handle some jalapenos, but others are way way too much for me. you’re a brave lady.
xo
kittee
cadryskitchen says
November 15, 2011 at 7:17 amEven more than eating the peppers, Kittee, the most intense part is cutting and seeding them. Maybe next time I’ll throw on a mask in addition to the gloves. I could call them Michael Jackson peppers!
Rashmi says
November 15, 2011 at 11:08 amVery creative and mouthwatering recipe.It must be spicy and delicious.
Kelly C says
November 18, 2011 at 6:02 amLooks awesome! I still haven’t made my own so this might be the push!
Cara says
November 19, 2011 at 9:28 pmMy mouth is seriously watering just looking at these pictures! 🙂 I learned the hard way why it is important to wear gloves when cutting a pepper. Let’s just say that I woke up that night sweating like crazy, trying to sweat the heat out of my fingernails and nose. hehe. Regardless, I am making these without a doubt!
cadryskitchen says
November 20, 2011 at 9:10 amUgh! That sounds terrible. Yes, it only takes one bad pepper experience out of many neutral experiences to make the gloves a necessity. I never had a problem burning myself with them, and then one year I was making Mexican food, and they burned my fingers so much that I felt the pain for days. I tried every remedy that I could find on the internet. I slathered them with all kinds of condiments, but none of it helped. I just had to wait it out.
After you get some gloves, I hope you like them! 🙂
Richa@HobbyandMore says
November 23, 2011 at 7:39 pmoooh those popppers look hot and delicious!.been a while since i made any… and yes.. those gloves are so important!
Billy says
August 31, 2012 at 7:47 amI want to make this for my dad but not tell him how spicy it is. Would love to see him running for water. haha I’m so evil.
Cadry says
August 31, 2012 at 9:01 amDevious! I’ve found that it really varies jalapeño by jalapeño how hot they are in the end. I hope you get just the batch of peppers you’re looking for! 😉