We’re not gonna lie, we love spicy food. Ever since we were little and our Dad lovingly teased us and said that eating spicy food made you stronger and more “manly” (yep, we were tomboys and daddy’s little girls –and being like him–and more “manly” was strangely quite attractive to us in those days!), we were sold! We’d load our food with red pepper, and enjoy every bite of it! So of course we still enjoy a good ole kick in our taste buds every now and then, and it inspired this recipe. 🙂
Perfect for enjoying while tailgating or serving as a healthy appetizer before a party, these stuffed jalapeno bites are the definition of lightened up comfort food! Filled with hummus, tomatoes, and feta cheese, you can get your appetizer fix without getting all that extra fat and calories—and at 45 calories a serving, you really can’t go wrong.
(Psst… looking for more lightened up recipes? Please feel free to search this site! And here are a few to try…
Comfort Food Reinvented Apple Pie
Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies )
Aside from tantalizing your taste buds, here are a few other reasons you can feel good about eating these lil’ numbers!
- They’re meat-free and packed with flavor, so they’re perfect if you are trying to cut back on meat and fearful that you have to cut out all the flavorful stuff!
- Chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans) are a great source of protein and fiber and can help lower your cholesterol.
- Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, which not only helps to fight cancer, but also keeps your skin youthful by acting as a natural sunblock.
Stuffed Jalapeno Bites
Makes 8 Servings (16 poppers)
Hummus:
1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (19 0z)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper
¼ cup water
1 lemon
(Use about half of the hummus for the stuffed jalapenos and save the rest!)
Jalapeno:
8 Jalapenos, sliced in half, seeds removed
½ small tomato, diced
1/8 cup Feta cheese
Directions:
- In a food processor, add the beans, garlic, cayenne pepper, red pepper, and water.
- Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice of each half into the food processor.
- Mix the ingredients together until smooth.
- For each jalapeno half, dig out the center.
- Fill each jalapeno shell with the hummus, and top with the cheese and tomato. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 45 kcal
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Protein: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 115 mg
Sugars: 1 gram
Fiber: 2 grams
- 1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained (19 0z)
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper
- ¼ cup water
- 1 lemon
- 8 Jalapenos, sliced in half, seeds removed
- ½ small tomato, diced
- ⅛ cup Feta cheese
- In a food processor, add the beans, garlic, cayenne pepper, red pepper, and water.
- Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice of each half into the food processor.
- Mix the ingredients together until smooth.
- For each jalapeno half, dig out the center.
- Fill each jalapeno shell with the hummus, and top with the cheese and tomato. Enjoy!