#19: Cook 5 new-to-me dinner recipes (recipe 2)

I will admit that I stumbled across this recipe as I was in the grocery store, searching on my phone for something that met the following requirements: healthy, easy, and tasty.  My point in prefacing this blog entry with that statement is that I didn't put a whole lot of thought into what I was going to prepare - which is unlike me, especially when it comes to following a recipe.  I have commitment issues when it comes to preparing meals from recipes - I will flip through cookbook after cookbook, followed by every issue of Food & Wine and Gourmet that I own, rounding it out with a perusal of multiple food blogs, and still not feel "strong" enough to just pick one and see how it goes.  I could psychoanalyze the hell out of myself based on that story alone, but I'll save that for another time and another type of blog...   

I settled upon a recipe from Food Network's Ellie Krieger.  I have never actually watched her show, but evidently it has something to do with healthy eating.  The recipe I chose was Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers - which made me laugh a little, as the addition of feta cheese seems to automatically qualify a food item for consideration as "Greek".  I did make a few changes - namely that I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and I also only made 3/4 of the recipe.  Oh, I also made the fatal mistake of using fat free feta cheese instead of regular.  Don't ask.  It was a momentary lapse in judgment and I may never forgive myself.  The dish was very easy to prepare and I assembled the first half of the recipe on Sunday night with the plan of topping it with the stewed tomatoes and feta cheese and baking it on Monday night.  

I'll be honest, this recipe was just okay.  It wasn't BAD, per se, but it also wasn't fantastic.  Shannon, who had the torture pleasure of eating the peppers with me agreed.  After the first bite, her facial expression didn't QUITE resemble this, but it was pretty close. 

SAD FACE

Only kidding.  In fact, she reminded me that even though it wasn't the best recipe ever, it was still good experience to give it a try and then have the opportunity to think about ways that it could have been better!  I think my main complaint is that the peppers didn't have a lot of flavor.  I don't do well with food that is underseasoned, and this definitely was that.  Shannon noted that the fat free feta had a very "odd" consistency.  I think "odd" is putting it lightly.  Again, I still haven't forgiven myself. 

It also could have used a little spice - and when I ate it, I actually did add a lot of the delightful Cholula Hot Sauce on top!  Yum!  Nothing a little hot sauce can't fix!

So, in conclusion, this recipe won't be winning any awards in my book, but it was quick, easy, and healthy - and with a few additions, it could end up being added to the dinner rotation...maybe once every couple years... :)