Buffalo Chicken Jalapeño Poppers with Ranch sauce

Dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, grain-free, Paleo, Whole30

Who's ready for the Super Bowl! To be honest, I'm not a big football fan (my husband would say that's the understatement of the year) but I actually do really like the Super Bowl.  It's all about good food, hanging out with friends, and the halftime show. The tough part is, that although the food is always delicious it's usually loaded with bread and cheese, which is tricky for a lot of us. These Jalapeño poppers give you all the flavour but are much better for you! 

​That said, if you tolerate dairy well, some sprinkled cheese on top of these would be pretty tasty, but completely unnecessary in my opinion. 

I'm also a bit a spice wimp so I love the ranch sauce on these to help balance out the spice of the jalapeños and buffalo sauce. Don't worry, they aren't overly spicy, like I said I'm just a wimp. I like serving these up with the ranch as a garnish on top but also will a small bowl of ranch beside the plate so your guests can always add more if they'd like.

These make a great appetizer anytime of the year but are especially good for the Super Bowl.

Buffalo Chicken Jalapeño Poppers
Ingredients

• 6 jalapeños 
• 2 cups shredded chicken (find recipe here)
• 1/3 cup Frank's hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 3 tbsp avoado oil
• 1/2 tbsp coconut amigos or tamari 

​Methods
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Cut jalapeños in half lengthways and scoop out seeds and veins. 
- Whisk all ingredients for the buffalo sauce together and stir in chicken until fully coated. 
- Fill the jalapeños with the buffalo chicken mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the jalapeños are softened and browned. 

Ranch Sauce
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (ideally soaked for 2-4 hours)
• 1 tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh dill
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Method
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high until fully combined and smooth.
- Spoon over jalapeño poppers and serve in a bowl beside the poppers.