Baked Jalapeno Boats

My husband loves spicy food. Loves it. He made his own hot sauce one summer with jalapenos and habaneros from the garden. The house filled with a thick spicy stench and I had to take the 2 month old out while he finished his creation. So, when I happened to be down in Boston meeting clients on a Friday I swung by Haymarket and snatched up 3 pounds of jalapenos. I figured I'd can most of them but then got a pregnant craving for jalapeno poppers. This version has all the taste but is gluten-free and much lower in fat  by eliminating the frying. Just in time for Superbowl snacks.

As a fair warning I asked my husband to take the jalapeno slicing pictures since I was wearing gloves. He got really into it, REALLY INTO IT, taking multiple angle shots and telling me that his pictures didn't even need captions. Glad he's a happy participant!

Baked Jalapeno Boats
(makes 24 boats)

12 jalapeno peppers
2 oz cheddar cheese
1 8oz bar lowfat cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 TBS dried cilantro
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 lime

1. Preheat oven to 425. Wearing gloves wash off jalapenos, slice of tops, cut lengthwise, and scoop out seeds. (Please enjoy the next set of pictures courtesy of my snap-happy husband.)

2. In the food processor, shred the cheese. Add all other ingredients and mix. 

3. Fill jalapeno boats with a scoop of the cheese mixture in each. (Put into a tinfoil-lined pan (easy cleanup). Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Fifteen minutes will yield crunchier boats, twenty minutes will yield softer more cooked jalapenos. Enjoy!