This Holiday season was a bit challenging as it was our first sin carne. No roasted turkey on Thanksgiving. No glazed ham at Christmas. No tasty bits of prosciutto wrapped around melon, no pigs in a blanket! Somehow we muddled through and even tried a few new appetizers. One of the keepers, Cheesy Stuffed Jalapeños, was a big hit and proved to be an excellent vehicle for the soy chorizo we like. The most important thing to remember when preparing these is to wear rubber gloves or protect your hands in some way. The tiniest bit of oil from the peppers can easily make it’s way from your fingers into your eyes, nose or other "sensitive" areas. Trust me, I know!

Photo from Simply Recipes
 

20 Jalapeños
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup cheddar cheese – shredded
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese – shredded
1/3 cup soy chorizo

Preheat oven to 200c. In a large frying pan, thoroughly cook the soy chorizo and drain it on a paper towel. In a mixing bowl, use a fork to mash together the the 3 cheeses and the soy chorizo. Wearing rubber gloves, slice each Jalapeño in half length-wise . Fill each half with approx. 1 tsp. of cheese – chorizo mixture. Make sure it is packed in well. Arrange stuffed pepper halves on 2 large backing sheets and cook until the cheese browns on top. (about 30 min)Remove from oven and allow to cool on paper towels a bit before removing to a serving platter. If some of your guests are very sensitive to spice, replace some of the Jalapeños with mushroom caps.

Yield: 40 pieces