No need to succumb to the hideous snacks and pizza that will no doubt make the rounds. Below I'm posting a few simple, delicious and LOW CARB snacks that you can have around to impress your friends AND maintain your healthy (well reasonably healthy) lifestyle. And all that walking around the kitchen while you make these counts as CARDIO!
Stuffed JalapenosHealthy Jalapeno Poppers - Not something most of us can wrap our heads around, but here is a version that lights up your tastebuds as well as your imagination:
Ingredients:
1 lb jalapenos halved and seeded
1 lb sausage browned (the cheap tube, need the grease)
8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
6-8 oz grated Parmesan
Instructions:
Cook sausage into crumbles and drain off about 3/4 of the grease
Mix the sausage and cheeses together,
Once the cheese melts stuff the jalapeno halves
Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes
Cook's Notes:
Good quality, name brand sausage is too lean. Get the cheap stuff. Sorry, but turkey sausage is too lean too.
WEAR GLOVES when dealing with chillies. You can't just wash the capsacin off your hands. Everything you touch for days will burn - and I mean EVERYTHING!!!
Optional: Buy some of that thin cheap pre-packaged bacon and wrap each in a 1/2 slice - cook until bacon crisps - because BACON!
I HIGHLY recommend doubling, tripling or even QUADRUPLING this recipe.
Make it dinner! Wrap the stuffed jalapenos in prosciutto, wrap that in chicken breast cutlets and wrap THAT in bacon!! - Be still my heart!
Queso Covered Bacon "Chip" Nachos
Who doesn't a huge pile of tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa? Well it loves you too! It'll gladly hang around your body for YEARS after you've forgotten who won the game that day. BUT... If you eliminate those chips and their carbs and you've got a fighting chance! MAKE BACON CHIPS!!
I'll not tell you how to stack your nachos, but I'll gladly teach you the secret of making bacon chips - which are perfect for snacking ANY time.
Ingredients:
12 strips of thin presliced grocery store bacon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
On a baking sheet covered in foil (but don’t grease it or bacon won’t crisp!) lay six strips of bacon next to each other vertically.
Weave the remaining strip of bacon horizontally between the vertical strips, creating a “lattice” pattern.
Bake bacon lattice for 10 minutes.
During this time assemble all the magnificent topping you will use to smother these heavenly chips
Remove bacon from oven. Allow to cool
Use scissors to cut bacon lattice into six “chips” and return to oven for additional five to seven minutes, or until crispy.
Transfer "chips" to plates and top each with your most decadent nacho fixin's.
Cook's Notes:
Each chip will be 3 strips of bacon wide and 2 high, so you're going to want to make a gazillion of them for a real football party - Don't be shy!
These are also perfect for "Breakfast Nachos" - layered with scrambled eggs, qheso, some guacamole, etc...
Bacon Cheesecake CupsRich, smooth, savory, spicy, cheesy filling... WRAPPED IN BACON!!
Ingredients:
13 slices thick cut bacon
1 lb cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp minced dried onion
1 tbsp minced jalapeno
Instructions:
Place slices of bacon on a cookie sheet.
Place into a cold oven.
Turn the oven on to 350 degrees.
Cook bacon for about 20 minutes. or until it is cooked but not crisp.
Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes.
Wrap one strip around the bottom inside edges of each of 12 standard muffin cups.
Crumble the remaining strip.
Place a drop or two of the bacon grease in the base of each muffin cup.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to combine cream cheese, eggs, onion and seasoning.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups, taking care to stay inside the bacon ring.
Bake for 20 minutes.
The cheesecake will puff, but fall after the cups cool.
Garnish with crumbled bacon.
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