This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hass Avocado Board featuring Hass Avocados for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I happen to be one of those women who loves football season. This year I’m even in a fantasy football league! But, even if you’re not a football fan (and I realize a lot of you aren’t), keep reading. I think there’s something that we can all get excited about… Football food!
I was asked to develop an avocado recipe for the Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest, and I jumped at the chance. I cannot get enough avocado, and I love football season. So, it’s the perfect pairing for me. I’ve had game day appetizers on the brain lately, and my mind immediately jumped to jalapeño poppers. I made a creamy guacamole filled, bacon wrapped jalapeño popper. And, they were good. Really good.
While my jalapeño poppers are certainly not what I’d consider a healthy snack (and we won’t even discuss the fact that I may have eaten them for dinner one night!), avocados are a pretty healthy option for game day fare… They are packed with vitamins and are very nutrient dense. Plus, they’re a great source of healthy fats. That makes me feel better about snacking on some poppers or digging into a big bowl of guacamole… Wouldn’t you agree?
Want to join in the fun? By entering in the contest you could win a free box of avocados (a sweepstakes, one winner chosen each week for 14 weeks!). And, if you submit the winning avocado recipe for the Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest, you and three of your best friends (or perhaps, whoever is willing to wash the dishes?) could be headed to California (with round-trip airfare and a free hotel for four nights!) for the Rose Bowl Game® on January 2nd and other great events.
If you’re looking for some ideas to get your creative juices flowing, be sure to check out the avocado recipes on the Hass Avocados site. You can also check out a few of my personal favorites…
Bacon Wrapped Guacamole Poppers
(Makes 20)
- 10 large jalapeño peppers
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 ripe Hass avocado
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 10 slices of bacon
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
Prepare the jalapeño peppers but cutting off the stems and slicing them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds.
To prepare the filling, mash together the cream cheese, avocado, lime juice, cumin, and salt until well combined (but leaving the avocado a bit chunky). Spoon the filling into the prepared jalapeño halves.
Cut the slices of bacon in half and tightly wrap one half-slice of bacon around each of the stuffed jalapeño halves. Arrange the bacon wrapped jalapeños on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and crisp and the filling is bubbly. Transfer the cooked poppers to a plate lined with paper towels before placing them on a serving dish to remove any excess grease. Serve immediately.
oh my! I’d finish these off even before the national anthem is done!
Sounds yummy! Not a fan of Jalapeno, think I’ll try with poblano!
I’m more ready for these than I am some football. I think I like football games mostly for the camaraderie and the snacks!
These sound absolutely wonderful! May have to start watching football so I can justify whipping up a batch!
Oh my goodness…creamy, spicy, salty heaven! These would definitely be a game day winner at our house, that is if they actually make it out of the kitchen! ;)
HICE LA RECETA PARA EL CUMPLEAÑOS DE MI ABUELA!!!! A TODOS LES ENCANTO, ESTAN DELICIOSOS!!!!
These are so fun! Perfect football food.
What a fun idea! Happy Cooking!
How is this not healthy? This sounds like PERFECT low carb healthy food to me! I can’t wait to make these!
These look great. Can I just make them and skip the football?
oh my gosh… i would devour the entire batch.
Found the recipe today…Shopped It, Prepared It, Cooked It, Ate It ALL!!!!! No Football but Fabulous X-Factor Food!!! Not to worry, I will be preparing another batch for NCAA Football this Saturday!!! Thanks So Much For Sharing This Yummy!!!! xx
What a yummy appetizer! I think my husband and his friends would go nuts for these, but they’d probably set my spice-sensitive mouth on fire, haha! They look really delicious, though. Thanks for sharing, Jen!
You might be surprised, Georgia…the cream cheese almost eradicates the heat factor…I haven’t tried these yet…just found the recipe today! But I make jalapeno jelly, put it over cream cheese and spread on a snack cracker like Triscuit…even my hubby who has a “heat-sensitive” mouth likes it. As a Texan, I like hot, spicy foods, but this is so good I don’t even care that it isn’t very hot. ALSO, the heat is in the seeds & membranes, so when you remove those, you just have awesome flavor! Have fun!! :-)
Perfect football food! Love these!!
I cannot wait to make these!
Yum
Looks yummy! I don’t see you listed in the entries in the contest though. That recipe would so win.
Erin – I actually just submitted it… :)
I don’t like football but I love the look of these!
Love this idea – so perfect for game day snacking!
Do you think you could sub mushrooms for the peppers? Or maybe it wouldnt taste as good?
Ryan – Sure, I think mushrooms would be a fun variation on the recipe!
Found this on pinterest! Thank you so much! I made these today with turkey bacon and they were sooo yummy! I use medical gloves when I prepare the peppers so I don’t have to worry about burning hands, and can just take them off for easy clean up!!
Awesome.
Thank you.