Jalapeno Popper Egg Rolls, with a Spicy Holiday Caesar!

It may not scream Christmas but it's a gift! lol

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I've been obsessed with egg roll wrappers lately... you might not realize because I'm behind in posts, but take my word for it... you can stuff just about anything in these and they are awesome! So then how about a jalapeno popper? Wait, let's make that dairy free... and still so good your foodie friends won't know! With homemade bacon, diced jalapenos, a blend of dairy free cream cheese and cashew spread with dairy free cheese shreds... this is dynamite! Pair it with a spicy caesar with a full meal in the glass... this says "I cherish you" this Christmas !!

These are my fav organic jalapenos... often available at Superstore.

I de-seeded these and chopped finely and placed in a pan to saute. I like them, but you need to get the heat out especially when the final cook of the egg roll doesn't really get straight through to the middle unless you are committed to full deep frying, which I...am... not!

The filling is easy as well...... filling... I blended some dairy free cream cheese and some cashew spread and some dairy free cheddar shreds! It's hard to give you an estimate on how much of each given it would depend on how many wraps you are making. I can say that equal portions of each is about right 1/3 Cup, 1/3, 1/3 as an example.

Now here is the fun!!!! All of the bacon.... bacon says "I love you"!!

This baking tray deals with the caesar and the poppers. I'll explain....

Bacon placed flat down is to be chopped up for the popper egg rolls. The pickles wrapped and skewered are for the drink, so is the curly bacon on a chop stick. The full roasted jalapeno is also for the edge of the glass. Into a 350 degree oven to bake! Like I said... these two were meant to be paired together!

I finely chopped up 4-5 strips of bacon and also placed the now cooled cooked jalapeno pieces in with the dairy free cheeses and mixed well! Doesn't this look like you could stick a spoon in this and just eat it?

Then you get to wrapping. I think you could wrap these any way you like, but I like creating little parcels. One is that its quick and easy and second; dairy free cream cheese and the cashew spread, melt a lot faster than dairy equivalent, and the tighter the egg roll package, the less filling you lose in the cooking process. Place the filling in one corner, fold into a triangle then tuck both lower corners in and finally fold down the top like an envelope!

I choose to limit the "frying" as much as possible, but in order to get the crispy texture this needs to spend some time in a frying pan. I used some avocado oil, given its high heat properties and fried these in batches, until both sides were browned. Then into a 350 degree oven to cook further.

Once these babies are out, it's time to mix up the caesar.... this is honestly my favourite mix.... you could almost just add the vodka.... well almost!

I still like to add a splash of water to thin down the mix, a splash of lemon juice, and just plain celery salt for the rim! You can include some worcestershire sauce or tabasco, but the spice is why I love this mix as is! They nail it! All that is left to do is throw in the nerly full appetizer into the glass. I wet the rim, and put straight celery salt on to the rim, a little in the drink as well for good measure! I carefully cut the end of the now roasted jalapeno to hug the rim of the glass. I placed the curly bacon right inside and balanced the bacon pickle skewer on the edge! Serve while the appy is still warm and gooey! It's so perfect! Hope you try it!

Have an amazing healthy and happy holiday! I know it looks nothing like holidays of years passed and we might be enjoying appies and drinks like these with "our immediate family" but let's keep the spirit alive... #AppsnSips

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