I think we all adopted a pandemic hobby or two, and mine was indoor gardening. Last May, I bought a small Aerogarden — a hydroponic device that grows plants under powerful LED lights — so I could grow basil.
That quickly turned into an obsession, and for several months of 2020, I had six Aerogardens. I was growing not only basil, but tomatoes, eggplant and a variety of peppers. Obviously I didn’t think things through, because I wound up with an enormous crop of spicy peppers.
I’d recently gone vegan, so I tried my hand at an easy vegan jalapeño popper recipe — and it was delicious. You can make this with regular cream cheese if you’d like, but I highly recommend the Treeline brand of nut cheese. (I know, it sounds weird. Nut cheese. But trust me, it’s delicious).
RECIPE
- Put on gloves and a mask. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Do not touch your face at all during this process!
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Split the peppers down the middle and remove the seeds, then brush the cut side of the peppers with a little olive oil.
- Roast the peppers on a baking sheet for about eight minutes.
- Remove the peppers and take out your vegan herb nut cheese/cream cheese/cheese spread of choice.
- Carefully, with a small spoon, spread the cheese into the pepper cavity.
- Garnish with tortilla chips
- Pop the peppers back into the oven for five to ten minutes, until the tops are a pleasing golden brown.
- Take off your mask and gloves, wash your hands, and enjoy! (But still don’t touch your face while eating. Ask me how I know this).
Enjoy! ~~ Tara
