What do you call a nosy pepper? Jalapeno business!

Jalapeno poppers are an appetizer, so naturally I adore them. You can imagine my joy when I found this recipe for jalapeno popper dip on Pinterest. 

Using this recipe as a jumping-off point, I made a few changes. I tend to avoid dips with mayonnaise like the Plague. The idea of cooking mayonnaise doesn't sit right with me, and I don't really care for the taste of mayonnaise. It's unnecessary in the dip, it's less forgiving to heating/reheating, and it adds extra fat and calories to an already calorie-laden dish. Also, the recipe that I linked to above includes a breadcrumb topping which is not needed, especially when you get the crunch factor from your dippers. Plus, think of how much more dip you can eat by omitting calorie bombs like mayo and breadcrumb toppings. In order to be objective, I put the topping on half of the dip. Trust me, you won't miss it.

With these tweaks, I can safely say that Jalapeno Popper Dip is now part of my regular dip rotation. Yes, I have a regular dip rotation.

Super Duper Important: Wash your hands about 30 times after you handle jalapenos (or just wear gloves) and don't touch any part of your face while you're handling them. Your eyes will probably start to itch as soon as you touch a jalapeno...the mind is a powerful thing. Don't give in. Seriously, your whole face will burn. It's not important for me to share how I know this.

Ingredients:

2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature, whipped

1 1/2 - 2 cups of Mexican Blend or Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

8-12 oz of pickled jalapenos (think concession stand nachos), diced

2 fresh jalapenos, diced

1 4oz jar of diced green chiles

 Directions:

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees

 Combine all of the ingredients.

Put into a casserole dish (you can see I prepared half with the breadcrumb topping)

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until edges bubble and top barely browns.

I reserved some of the fresh jalapeno to garnish...doesn't the right side just look so much more inviting?)

I chose to enjoy mine with a cold Dos Equis and some pita chips!

My roommate tried both sides of the dip (with tortilla chips) and agreed that the breadcrumb topping is unnecessary. 

Tracy