Stuffed Jalapeno Bites

As the summer flies by, our patio garden is just flourishing. While we're still waiting for our tomatoes to ripen, our jalapenos are getting along just fine...we've picked 4 so far and the rest are just growing more every day. Though I don't like a ton of heat, one thing I love is Jalapeno Poppers, but didn't want to drag out the fryer or the hassle of breading them, so I whipped up a filling and baked them. They turned out great! The heat really mellowed out and the filling was delicious.

Stuffed Jalapeno Bites

Ingredients

• 4 jalapenos, sliced in half, ribs and seeds removed
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
• Cut a very thin strip off the back of each jalapeno half so they will sit flat on the baking sheet.
• Mix the last 5 ingredients together until well combined.
• Spoon mixture to fill each jalapeno half & lay onto baking sheet.
• Bake for 15 minutes, until jalapenos are just tender & the filling is bubbling & brown on top.

Makes 8.