Some of the things I always enjoy making during the summer are cool drinks that give off a tropical vibe ~ cocktails for the over 21 crowd, as well as ones that the kids can enjoy, too. Coconut Water Martinis & Coconut Water Mocktails fall right into that category. I also like to make easy to eat-with-your-fingers types of appetizers. (aka ~ hors d'oeuvres ~ if you're feeling a bit fancy & French :) Of course, salsa is always high on my list ~ as well as jalapeño poppers.
My neighbors, Bill & Cheryl, shared some of their Sausage Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers with us not long ago & I just had to make some for myself. My spin is baked in the oven, instead of cooked on the BBQ & I used lower fat ingredients, but the flavors are the same. I just love this unusual flavor combo in the ever popular jalapeño popper!
Happy Labor Day Weekend!
Happy End of Summer!
Happy Tropical Cocktail Time ~ It's always 5 o'clock somewhere!
Baked Sausage Stuffed Jalapeño Poppers ~ Low-Fat
makes 12 tasty, spicy morsels
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| Ready to bake... |
- 6 large jalapeños ~ sliced in half length ways, seeds/veins removed
- 4 oz low-fat or fat-free cream cheese
- couple drops of liquid smoke ~ or more, to taste
- 5 cooked turkey sausage breakfast links, crumbled
- smoked paprika, for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Combine the cream cheese of choice with the liquid smoke until fully combined & creamy, taste & add more liquid smoke if desired. Add the cooked & crumbled turkey sausage to the cream cheese & blend all together.
Spread the cream cheese mixture into the halved jalapeños, then sprinkle with smoked paprika.
Bake on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, or until done. Enjoy!
OPTIONAL VEGETARIAN VERSION ~ Just replace the turkey sausage with soy sausage
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| To see my other recipe for Low-Fat Baked Jalapeño Poppers ~ click here! |
Coconut Water Martini
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| Coconut Water Martini ~ Ahhh, the taste of the tropics! |
- one shot Malibu Coconut Rum
- one shot Vodka
- one shot Badia Coconut Water with Pulp
Coconut Water Mocktail ~ perfect for everyone
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| Coconut Water Mocktail ~ Great for kids & grown-ups alike. For the simplest mocktail ever, pour well chilled coconut water over ice, into a pretty glass. |
- Badia Coconut Water with Pulp
- Optional ~ a splash of ~ French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
- ice
If you want a frozen version, pour the coconut water into the blender, add a couple of ice cubes & a splash of French Vanilla Coffee Creamer. Whirl away until frosty. Enjoy!
This canned coconut water is lightly sweet, has a nice coconut flavor & has bits of coconut pulp floating around in it. It's amazingly good! I find this brand (Badia) over in the ethnic Mexican food section of my market. This stuff is hands down my favorite sweetened drink in a can! :)
Salsa
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| JR's Tex-Mex RO*TEL Salsa ~ Just had to share this salsa again. It's so freakin' good & so simple to prepare. It's perfect for a summer party or just 'cause you're in the mood for some good, traditional Mexican flavored salsa. I just love it! Check out the post ~ for the recipe. |
The poppers are seriously one of the tastiest things ever! Huge hit in this house!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you liked them!! We really love them, too. :) Thanks so much for stopping by & commenting ~ Cheers!
DeleteThis one sounds like a good deal!! You remind me of my mom. She always tries to make those recipes that are shared with her. It’s great because she succeeds every time she does it and sometimes she even creates something more delicious and extra special than the original! ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Alex,
DeleteWow, what a nice compliment, thank you! I have fun in the kitchen, making & tinkering with recipes that sound good to me. I'm so glad that others are finding some recipes that sound good to them, too. These little poppers are really tasty. I'm such a sucker for anything that has a Mexican flair! If I can figure out a way to make some of them a little bit healthier, for our needs, then cool! :)
Thanks so much for the kinds words & for stopping by ~ Cheers!