Healthy Stuffed Jalapenos (sorry Dave)

Ok, first a quick caveat.  My brother is the famed stuffed jalapeno maker o' the family and I ask for them EVERY time I get to home.  Having said that, it's a guilty pleasure and I don't do many guilty pleasures in my own house with the exception of...um..the occasional libation.   So, because I don't get to go home nearly enough yet I crave these ALL THE FREAKING TIME - I came up with a healthier version of my brother's very wonderful Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos.   As always, scroll to the bottom for the Hindsight is 20/20 bullets. 

Healthy Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

• 1 (8 ounce) package of fat free cream cheese (or reduced fat), softened
• 1/2 cup fat free or light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup rotel, drained
• 1/4 cup fat free or reduced fat Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fat free or reduced fat cheddar cheese
• 1 TBSP Chili powder
• 1TBSP Cayenne pepper (or not...whatever you like)
• Hot Sauce - to taste
• Several jalapenos cut in half lengthwise and seeded with veins removed- leave the stem on if you can.  (between 20 and 30 jalapenos should give you the right amount of pepper/stuffing ratio)
• Enough turkey bacon to wrap each jalapeno

Mix cream cheese, mayo, rotel, Parmesan/cheddar cheeses, chili powder, cayenne and hot sauce.  Stuff each jalapeno with mixture.  Bake in oven at 350 to 375 until bacon looks crisp and cheese has melted(Depending on the size of your jalapenos between 12-16 minutes).

I didn't have very many jalapenos and they were small to medium size at best so I pretty much halved the recipe

I am not sure what that looks like but I can assure you it looks better in a crispy, perfectly cooked jalapeno.

That's a tomato corer.  It works really well in hollowing out the jalapenos.

You can vary the amount of stuffing you use.  Some people like more cream cheese, less bacon/jalapeno or vice versa.

I like some of my jalapenos without bacon so I left some of them nekked

You can use toothpicks to keep the bacon on the jalapeno but if you measure the bacon right, you ought to be able to flap it over without using a toothpick.

Bacon should be crispy but not burnt and any cheese you used should be melted.  Try not to overcook the jalapenos as they'll dry out.

Ready to eat!  YUM!

 Hindsight is 20/20

•  As usual, lighten up on the cayenne and hot sauce if you can't take the heat ;-).  Having said that, if you can't take the heat, best to stay away from jalapenos altogether!
• Some of my jalapenos were too small and got a little overcooked.  It would probably be better to use uniform jalapenos.  I was just using what I had on hand. 
• These were really pretty good.  I could tell they were healthy...the cream cheese mix was not quite as salty and no surprise, the turkey bacon didn't cook quite the same as regular bacon. But I'm ok with that.  I can eat all the stuffed jalapenos I want and still feel like efforts at spin class weren't cancelled out!
• If you're feeling froggy, you could add some shredded cheese on top of the jalapenos when you have about 2-3 minutes of cooking time left.  Just remember, they will be less finger-food-like.  You might actually have to get a fork out....bummer. 
• Speaking of finger food, the stems make the jalapenos easier to handle during prep and easier to eat later on.  Try and leave them on if ya can!