game-day recipe

When I was a teenager, jalapeño poppers were one of my favorite appetizers. There's just something about a jalapeño pepper stuffed with a creamy filling and wrapped in a crunchy breaded crust. Recently, I was reminded of my beloved snack and decided to make a vegan version.

When I looked around the internet, all of the vegan recipes were open-faced stuffed jalapeños, without the breaded coating that I remember. While those stuffed jalapeños do look pretty, they just weren't quite what I was looking for. So I set out to make my own. And I soon realized why all those recipes were made without the coating: it's not easy to get jalapeños perfectly coated! However, after weeks of trial and error, I've finally come up with a method that creates the perfect crunchy coating.

It's been a long time since I've eaten anything fried in oil. But recently I found myself craving General Tso's sauce, and decided I'd treat myself. Since I'm vegan, I obviously won't be eating chicken with that sauce, so I decided to batter and fry tofu instead. This tofu came out so perfect, golden, and delicious that it was worthy of its own recipe. The texture of the coating is very similar to the battered chicken you'll find in many Chinese takeout places, so you can use it with a variety of sauces. It also has enough flavor to be snacked on alone!