Thursday, May 31, 2012

Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers



My kids are awesome. No, really, I'm not biased. Honestly, when it comes to eating I have very few picky eaters in the bunch of 7. Mostly, they eat whatever I put in front of them. In fact, the two youngest request fresh veggies!

Anytime I'm in the kitchen chopping veggies for a recipe, they head on out and ask for whatever it is I'm prepping. Their favorite is red peppers, but they also love celery, carrots, sno peas, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini.


I don't believe in recipes that hide vegetables. First off, over-processing causes them to lose much of their nutrition, and second, kids will never learn to love veggies if they don't realize they're eating them. Once they're old enough to leave the nest, who will make cupcakes or pasta sauce for them with pureed vegetables added in? Likely, nobody.

So, around here we celebrate veggies for what they are. We choose them fresh, wash them gently and serve them well. This recipe is perfect for warm weather and the kids love peppers this way. Mini peppers are available in most supermarkets and are sweet and tender. If you can't find them, cut larger peppers into 1 1/2" strips and spread with the cheese mixture. Either way, a plate of these won't last long!


Check out other veggie-centric recipes and posts at The Country Crock Chronicle while you're at it!



Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
Makes 24 mini peppers
Printable Recipe

24 mini peppers
8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 green onions - sliced thinly, green and white parts
2 teaspoons Country Crock Spread
2 Tablespoons fresh basil - finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Set aside.
Set cream cheese in a bowl and allow to soften at room temperature.
Cook white parts of green onions in Country Crock Spread until golden brown.
Add feta cheese, onions, basil, salt and pepper to cream cheese. Blend well.
Spoon or pipe cheese into pepper halves. Garnish with green onion if desired and serve immediately or chill several hours until serving time.

*Disclosure: My posts for Country Crock are sponsored, compensated and/or reimbursed by Country Crock and Unilever. As such, all content and opinions are required to be honest and belonging wholly to myself.

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