Paleo March Madness Mash Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños

So my blog was deleted from Blogger yesterday right when I was leaving for the airport. I cannot say how thankful I am to have it back up and running. I want to thank each and every reader and other paleo bloggers who reached out to help! I was on a little bit of a ledge freaking out, and so many people gave me such great input on how to move forward. Please bare with me as I transition to Wordpress. I’m excited to have a little more interactive blog, but it will take me a little time to get used to it. 

I’m back from New Orleans. It was such an amazing experience. I sampled the local cuisine aka beignets from Cafe Du Monde and even attended a St. Patrick’s Day parade with floats and bead throwing. While I’d never been to New Orleans before, you could tell the city is having a resurgence. With Mardi Gras crowds dissipating, there are still plenty of people out and about. 

March Madness starts tomorrow! It is my favorite time of the year. As an alum from one of the top basketball programs in the nation, my love of basketball runs deep. I’ve been a KU Jayhawk fan since I was a little girl. I’m not ashamed to admit I get really into the tournament. Any other basketball fans out there? Every year I pick my Jayhawks to win it all, and my prediction came true in 2008. We’ve had some ups and downs this season, but I’m excited to see how the tourney goes! In honor of the tournament, I created a little bar fare snack. The sweetness from the sweet potatoes and butternut squash pair perfectly with the smoky bacon and spicy jalapeños. 

Ingredients

1 cup sweet potato, large diced

1 cup butternut squash, large diced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

12 bacon slices

6 large jalapeños

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Boil a couple cups of water in a sauce pot with sweet potato and butternut squash for about 10 minutes or until fork tender. Add in paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. 

Cut jalapeños in half lengthwise and deseed. Scoop mash into jalapeño cavities until very full. Wrap each jalapeño half with a slice of bacon. Try to connect the end back onto the slice of bacon. This will seal in the filling. If you have trouble doing this you can use toothpicks to keep the bacon in place! Place onto a lined-baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes until bacon is crispy. 

Enjoy!

x vanessa