POM Spritzer

I was watching Everyday Italian on Thursday. Giada was making healthy snacks and one of those was a Pomegranate/Cranberry Spritzer, which was a healthier alternative to soda. I immediately thought of the POM juice I have in my fridge that Kristen at POM Wonderful sent over. You MUST try the juice, and you must visit POM Wonderful !!!
The juice is terrific on its own, but truly amazing when added to drinks and recipes. The health benefits are endless and totally worth drinking something that also tastes great. I have MANY more to come.... the instant I got the e-mail, asking if I'd like to try some... the ideas swirled in my head...add to sauces, mix it with chocolate, and of course mixed into some cocktails!

POM Spritzer

100% POM JUICE
Perrier
Wedge of lime

I used 1 part POM to 3 parts Perrier with a squirt of Lime juice. So refreshing and so delicious! Of course serving in a Champagne glass makes it more festive!

Roasted Jalapeno "Popper" Wontons w/ POM dipping sauce

OM Jizzles as my bf's daughter would say! If you like jalapeno poppers, you will LOVE these too! My trips to the fried side usually happen late on a Friday night, well maybe I should say Saturday morning, after TOO MUCH TO DRINK! That's when craving for fries, burgers and poppers comes in strong and my conscience takes the back seat! When this idea came to me I could NOT make them fast enough. With Football Season underway, this was the perfect time to try it out!
When Kristen at POM Wonderful asked if I'd like to try POM I couldn't type fast enough to tell her "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" It was like a confirmation that my blog is out there and people are reading! :) My mind was swirling with tons of ideas and I knew I'd want to make a dipping sauce. Stay tuned for more POM recipes to follow!
I'm telling you....these are delicious! I only made 4 (which I ate just as fast as they fried up) so I could adjust the seasoning and see how I liked the ratio of jalapeno to cheese. It was missing some heat, since I took out all the seeds and ribs and I think I could have left the pieces of jalapeno bigger. Super easy to put together and well worth it!

I started by slicing the tops of the eight jalapenos I had (I'd use a few more for the rest), then slicing them in half and taking all the seeds and membrane out. Leave some of the membrane if you like more heat.

Then I placed them skin side down on a well oiled baking sheet. I roasted them about 15 minutes at 400 degrees until the skins started to brown and blister.

Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Even though I have a "name brand" plastic wrap I had to cover it with foil because my plastic would not stick. I left the peppers for about twenty minutes before I peeled the skins off.

Once the cream cheese comes to room temperature. add the jalapenos (chopped), grated pepperjack, and a pinch of cayenne, paprika, cumin,salt, and black pepper. Mix until evenly combined. Take wonton wrappers out and place one teaspoon in center of each. Moisten edges with water and fold into desired shapes.

Deep fry until golden, let cool, and serve with your favorite dipping sauce! YUMMM!!!

I tried to take a picture of the inside, but I could not get my camera to focus! My favorite fold was the one below, with a big bite taken out of it! It had a good amount of crunch!

Poppers:
12 jalapenos
8 oz. cream cheese
grated pepper jack cheese
cayenne
paprika
cumin
salt
black pepper
wonton wrappers (square)
oil for frying

POM Dipping Sauce:

8 oz. POM
squeeze of honey
dash of mirin
pinch of black pepper
2 tspns raspberry preserves

Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Chill before serving. I totally encourage ALL OF YOU to buy some POM and give it a try!! In my next post I'll include the link to POM Wonderful so you can see all the great health benefits!!!

*Can anyone tell me why I can't get two pictures to be side by side without messing up my text?!?!?!?* THANKS!