A Mediterranean Twist on Stuffed Peppers

After an entire summer of attempting to grow grape tomatoes, they finally turned red! YAY! I wanted a recipe that really showcased their flavor. I know they are just tomatoes, but it took a whole 'lotta TLC to get these babies to grow for some reason. Anyway, I found a great recipe that showcased their flavor and had a ton of WOW factor. I would definitely use this kind of recipe when I have company over to be majorly impressive with very minimal work. These peppers have great (what I like to call) "food porn" value. The presentation is awesome with these yummy stuffed peppers. I served one per person with a side of warm pita bread. This recipe creates a lot of juices that are good for dipping the bread in.

Mediterranean Stuffed Red Peppers (a Martha Stewart recipe)


Ingredients
2 small red bell peppers (5 to 6 ounces each), halved lengthwise through stem, seeds and ribs removed
1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes - I used grape tomatoes
1 1/2 ounces feta cheese (preferably goat's milk), crumbled
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
8 basil leaves, torn into pieces
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in top third. Place bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in a baking dish. Toss together tomatoes, feta, thyme, and basil in a medium bowl; season with black pepper. Fill each pepper with tomato and feta mixture, dividing evenly. Drizzle each with oil.


Bake stuffed peppers, covered with aluminum foil, until they begin to soften, about 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue to bake until tomatoes begin to burst and cheese turns light brown, 13 to 15 minutes more. Remove stuffed peppers from oven, and serve warm.

Below are pictures of my own stuffed peppers: