In just under a week, I am headed to Eat Write Retreat. This is its 4th year and my third time attending. I am SO looking forward to a weekend of learning, being surrounded with like-minded food bloggers and tasting whatever may be coming our way!
One of the brands that will be there is Watermelon.org and we were asked to come up with a watermelon dish. I am crazy for watermelon, when I get a really perfect one I want to take it and hide in a closet and eat it up allll by myself. Umm, that never happened...but it totally could! A couple of our recipes will win a 2-3 video segment on how to prepare our dish. If you see a video segment on Souffle Bombay soon...you will know I won...fingers crossed!!
Once I had a minute to think about what I would make, I instantly "saw" in my head mini peppers stuffed with a spicy watermelon salsa. As I tinkered with this great summer pick-me-up, I decided to add some crumbled feta over top and I also added a little bit of crumbled bacon.
Oh-My-Gosh...the sweet, the salty, the crunch and the spice to me were a wonderful combination! The beautiful burst of watermelon flavor that dances across your tongue bite after bite is incredible! Not only would this be extremely refreshing appetizer at a summer BBQ this is also fabulous for people watching their waistlines!
I kinda love it!!
To me watermelon is one of the best things about summer, not only is it ridiculously delicious...you can do SO much with it! AND its a favorite of kids 2-to 102! Really! If you love watermelon as much as I do check out their FB Page for recipes, watermelon sculpture ideas & more or follow them on Twitter!
I can not wait to serve this at the very next gathering we have or go to! This is a quick dish to make, it is crisp, light, refreshing and can be either a vegetarian offering or with the sprinkling of a little bacon...not. You can stuff all of your mini peppers before you serve them OR serve the mini peppers as "chips" and let people just scoop up the delicious watermelon salad....SO good! Let me know if you try it out!!
Watermelon Salad Stuffed Peppers with Feta & Bacon
2 cups of chopped watermelon
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1-2 TBS minced jalapeno (depending on your heat preference)
¼ cup chopped red onion
2 TBS fresh lime juice
½ cup crumbles Feta cheese
¼ cup crumbles crispy bacon (optional)
12 sweet little peppers (come in prepackages bags in produce area red, orange & yellow combo)
Gently toss the watermelon, cilantro, jalapeno, red onion and lime juice. Halve your peppers, gently trim away the stem area and scoop out any seeds. Fill each pepper half with a spoonful of salsa, sprinkle feta and bacon over top and enjoy!! You can also set the watermelon salsa out as a dip alongside the pepper halves...almost like chips & dip. Just sprinkle the feta and bacon over-top.
Colleen's Notes: The above recipe is just a guide, just like with salsa...there really is no recipe you need to stick to. If you want more watermelon...add it, more or less heat?? Increase or decrease the amount of jalapeno. I like to leave the stems and seeds in for extra heat. If you don't like cilantro, omit it and maybe add in some parsley and or basil. If you want it sweeter, add in a bit of honey or some chopped mango. If you want it crunchier add in some bell peppers. Take this wherever you want it to go, let me know what you come up with!
My personal opinion about feta is to buy a brick of it vs the pre-crumbled package. The brick is SO most and delicious while the pre-crumbled is much drier. If you are lucky enough to have a farmers market by you (like I do) that sells fresh feta (multiple varieties too!!) THAT is what you want.
Enjoy!!
Noelle says
Yum! !! How intriguing! Save me a bite!
Kate | Food Babbles says
Love this! I can practically taste this bright, vibrant, salty, sweet wonderful dish! I'll definitely be making this. I love watermelon and feta together and the addition of bacon sounds like perfection. On another note, I'll be looking forward to seeing you at EWR! This is my first year going and I'm psyched!
foody schmoody says
Very creative and beautiful presentation. I am not a fan of feta, but I could easily replace that w/ goat cheese or similar.
Meredith says
Those are gorgeous! Have fun next week!
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
I love watermelon salad. The genius here is putting into peppers! Love it!
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
Wow!!! What an idea!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
What a great idea!! have fun at your retreat!!
Brenda@Sugarfreemom says
Love the sweet and salty combo!
Amanda ( The Kitcheneer) says
SO CUTE! its like mini watermelon salads to-go! YUM!
Paula-bell'alimento says
I'm currently on a watermelon binge. This is going to be a huge hit at my next get together ; ) Love it Colleen.
Nutmeg Nanny says
This is the cutest little summer appetizer ever!
Marly says
What a great combination of flavors - love it!
Renee Goerger says
So, so, so colorful and delicious looking! What a fun and tasty combination of flavors! Nice recipe and perfect for summertime entertaining!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen
Sarah W. Caron (Sarah's Cucina Bella) says
I LOVE those little peppers. They make for such a pretty presentation.
Angie Barrett says
This is just the perfect summer recipes! I love the flavors and colors!
Savory Experiments says
I've never had watermelon salad in peppers or with cheese- so colorful and appetizing!
Susan says
Colleen are you going to beat us all again?! LOL! Because it sure does look like it with this recipe. Can't wait to see you this weekend.
Coleen @ The Redhead Baker says
What an interesting combination of flavors! I never would have thought to put all of them together!
Rai says
It looks delicious, but it's not vegetarian. I know you can leave the bacon bits out, but then it should not be in the 'vegetarian' category.
Colleen says
I agree, I will change that. Thank you.