Roasted Jalapeno Poppers

For me, this is a day of one of America's most popular pagan rituals. It is a day when people gather around the sacred god (otherwise known as "The Flatscreen," "The Tube," or "The Teli"- as my friend from England would say), and watch two opposing tribes battle it out.

Personally, I try to stay out of the way of all those obnoxious war cries and ensuing celebratory touchdown dances, but it's hard not to get caught up in the hype surrounding such an occasion... especially when it involves all sorts of sinful food! Oh, the gluttony!

Well, since this is a blog about food, how could I stay away? ... if not only to make a small food contribution. So here it is. It's not deep fried, but it's gooey, it's crunchy, and deceptively sinful (as most good vegan food is). Enjoy!

You'll need: 1 dozen jalapeno peppers, cut in half lengthwise

Filling:
1 C. cooked potatoes, mashed but chunky
1/4 C. Tofutti cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 C. green onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
cracked black pepper and salt to taste
1/2 C. vegan cheese (shredded)
Bread Crumb Topping:
1/2 C. plain bread crumbs
1 T. dehydrated onion
1/2 tsp. ground rosemary
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
cracked black pepper and salt to taste

Bacony Bits:
3 T. TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
2 T. water
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. maple syrup (or agave nectar)
1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Spinz:

Pull out seeds from jalapenos and set them on a prepared cookie sheet cut side up.

For the filling:
Mix together the softened cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and set aside. Chop green onions and mix in with cooked potatoes. Mix in the cream cheese mixture and vegan cheese until it becomes a chunky mash.

For the bread crumb topping:
Mix together all the ingredients until uniformly combined.

For the bacony bits:
In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup, and water, and heat in the microwave until hot (about 30 sec). Mix in the TVP until well coated and let it soak for a few minutes. When it has finished soaking and rehydrated, add the extra virgin olive oil and mix well.

Mix the bacony bits with the bread crumb topping until well combined.

To assemble:
Spoon in the potato mixture into each jalapeno half, careful not to mound it. Then, while holding each pepper over your bread crumb bowl, press in some of the bread crumbs to mound over the jalapeno half.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden and cooked through.