Big Flavors, Small Bites

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Have you seen these sweet mini peppers in the stores? Colorful and bright, I couldn’t resist picking up a bag, they sat in my fridge for a couple of days while I was deciding what to do with them, I knew I wanted to keep them whole, I couldn’t bare to chop them up, so after searching the web I decided to stuff them.

This is the perfect appetizer or side dish with no fuss to put together and they look gorgeous on a platter! I roasted mine in a 400F. oven tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, until tender and slightly golden.

Next, I sliced them open on one side to make a pocket and stuffed them with a mixture of herbed goat cheese and mascarpone, put them back in the oven for a few seconds just to get the cheese warm and then drizzled a flavored lemon olive oil and herb dressing over the top. The sweetness of the peppers balances perfectly with the tangy creaminess from the cheese and the dressing just highlights the whole dish!

Really the possibilities are endless as to what you can stuff them with, think of all the different cheese you can use, mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola, feta, asiago, I could go on and on!

While my oven was still hot I decided to roast these tiny zucchini I found at Whole Foods as well as some onion and tomato slices, just as I did with the peppers above I drizzled my flavored lemon olive oil and herb dressing all over the top. This is the perfect side dish to accompany any meat of your choice, oh and they taste phenominal!

The dressing I used for both the peppers and zucchini were a mixture of minced fresh parsley and basil, a pinch of salt and black pepper all whisked together with lemon flavored olive oil, or as a substitute you can certainly use fresh lemon with olive oil.

This last dish has to be one of my favorite flavor combinations of late, ask my husband, I’ve been making it almost every other day, roasted asparagus, salty feta, and sweet roasted grape tomatoes, but what takes this over the top and I truly mean it, is this wonderful lemon olive oil from Olio2go, I covet this stuff! It enhances food to another level and worth every single penny in my opinion! Straight from the bottle drizzle over the warm roasted asparagus or any roasted vegetable, grilled chicken or fish, outstanding in salads. I can’t get enough of it, and a little goes a long way, it’s packed with flavor as the pulp of the lemons are actually pressed with the olives, a match made in heaven!

As stated above, you can certainly substitute fresh lemon with olive oil whisked together if you so desire. Hey, some people get excited over new shoes, me, I go for the olive oil!

Have a great week, and Buon Appetito!
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Comments

  1. Lisa, That sounds so yummy!!

  2. Our best dinner this week? I threw a bag of those yummy little peppers, a big sweet onion and a handful of garlic cloves all sprinkled with olive oil in the oven while I was getting ready for work the other morning. Took the veggies out, pureed them with some chicken broth, added s&p and tossed them with rigatoni. YUM – dinner in the time it took to cook the pasta.

  3. This is what Spring is all about. Fresh and abundant veggies and easy recipes like these. Bravo! If only it was warm enough for Al Fresco dining. Soon!

  4. Wow! Your blog is an inviting and culinary inspiration! For the longest time I thought Italian cuisine and I were enemies, but I now see that I’ve never been introduced to true Italian cooking. Glancing through your blog posts confirms that Italian food and I can be great friends. 🙂

    P.S. I found your blog via a search on campari tomatoes. I usually eat them raw with a dash of basil, salt & pepper, but I will certainly give your roasting recipe a try. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Why are we so behind in Australia?! Sadly those peppers would be SUPER hard to find and would probably cost $50kg lol! Hurry up Australia!!!!!

    Love the colours though and i can imagine how sweet they taste.

  6. All of these veggies look so delicious! Love those peppers and what you did with them!

  7. Marie, Thanks so much for the great review. Folks who try Olio Verde al Limone all come back for more! A drizzle on simple pasta with ricotta is sublime.

  8. Ues I have seen these little butes at the grocery store. I love to use them in a grilled antipasto tray.

  9. Is there anything you make that isn’t both delicious and beautiful? Now I need to get those peppers. They’re making my mouth water.

  10. Those little peppers look lush! I wish I could get my hands on some, but no such luck here I’m afraid. Love the look of the gooey cheese mixture too.

    Few things beat a good quality Olive Oil!

  11. Love those colorful guys! Looks so delish, like the new twist, stuffed!

    I cook with peppers all the time, and they are so good for you too!

    🙂

  12. I did those luscious stuffed peppers a few weeks ago and I am probably gaining weight as that is my go-to snack. Love the baby zucchini! Covet them – and welcome asparagus! I will definitely be adding feta cheese next time. Shoes? I live in MN. Most of the yetr we don’t wear shoes. It’s boot country here!

  13. Marie, i LOVE those sweet peppers too! And now i have a new way to try making them. Thanks for the delish recipe!

  14. I buy a bag of peppers like this every time I go to Costco, Marie! They are so good I can eat them raw, but I also love to roast them. I will stuff them with cheese next rime I make them ..yum!

    The zucchini and asparagus look delicious roasted with your special lemon olive oil dressing on top! Every recipe would make wonderful side dishes for Easter!

  15. So now you have practically turned me into a vegan! Those dishes are one more incredible than the next. I love Whole Foods – I hop over to NJ just to shop there. And I will check out Olio2go’s site as well. xo,

  16. PS the new shoes excite me as much as the veggies!

  17. I love seeing all those beautiful bright vegetables, it gives me hope that summer may come someday…..

  18. These peppers are one of my favorite foods! We often just throw them in a basket on the grill while other items are cooking and eat them as a side dish. And I’ve stuffed them raw. They are so healthy, colorful, and tasty! Thanks for another idea for use!

  19. Those little peppers are cunning, Marie! I love how you stuffed them with goat cheese and mascarpone. I might have a hard time eating but a few! And I will be on the lookout for that lemon olive oil. It sounds perfect.

  20. Great idea for those little peppers. Now I want to make something like that for my next party! Yum! I have seen those little peppers, but I think the time I bought them I just cut them up in a salad or just snacked on them as substitute for my usual baby carrots.

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