Stuffed Hot Red Cherry Peppers

So, as you may know I've been posting a lot lately about healthier eating habits. Well, let me tell you something about myself. When it comes right down to it my eating habits are pretty horrible. Yes, I've made a few small changes over the past weeks such as switching out stevia for sugar and diet soda, starting every day with greek yogurt and homemade granola, and tracking my food in a daily journal. One thing that tracking my food has shown me is that I really do have a terrible diet! Now that I see everything laid out in front of me, it's a bit of a wakeup call. You can imagine that it would for me to change my eaing habits since I'm always baking up something buttery, sugary, or cheesey in the kitchen. I've said before that baking and cooking are like taking a giant xanax, and I don't think I could give up my time spent in the kitchen for that reason. I really wanted to focus on baking and decorating cakes this year, but because I need to start focusing more on health and less on cake, I'm making the creative decision to move this blog more in the direction of healthy cooking. Don't get me wrong, I'm still going love posting pretty cake or macaron (still haven't posted one yet!) recipes as a treat, but only about as much as I should be indulging in them. If I bake a cupcake a day, I'm pretty sure that it will bring the opposite effect of eating an apple a day. So, please join me on this journey. And I promise I will keep updating with a delicious dessert here and there - everything in moderation, even moderation, right?

Now that I've got that off my chest, let me talk about these delicious stuffed hot red cherry peppers. Hot red cherry peppers can be found at many grocery stores along with the hot peppers. Don't be fooled by their name, though. They're much less spicy than their counterparts, and much more sweet. I would describe the taste as a cross between a bell pepper and a jabenero - but less spicy. I absolutely love marinated stuffed peppers in the jar - stuffed with provolone and prosciutto. If you've never had them, I suggest you find them at your grocery store next time you're looking for an indulgence. Back to the cherry peppers, I took a little bit of a different approach. They're stuffed with provolone and marinated with a mix of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and marjoram. They're then baked to make the cheese all bubbly and gooey. I'm pretty sure these are not a part of any "diet", but having two as a small appetizer certainly won't hurt anyone. The trouble is stopping after just two! I think these would make a great menu item at a party or to bring to a party as a guest. Yum!

Stuffed Hot Red Cherry Peppers

14 cherry peppers, cored with tops cut off and reserved
4 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Arrange the peppers in a small baking dish. Stuff a piece or two of provolone cheese inside each pepper. In a seperate bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the peppers. Let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place tops back on peppers and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Source: Adapted from Mad Hungry tv show with Lucinda Scala Quinn.