Marinated feta and sundried tomato bites

[living_out_loud]

My friend often brings this appetizer to parties and always gets requests for the recipe. This one is a keeper! I'll post in under appies too.

MARINATED FETA & SUNDRIED TOMATO BITES P1

1/4 cup finely diced oil packed sundried tomotoes, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp finely chopped pitted kalamata olives ( I don't like olives, so I put more tomato instead)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4-1/2tsp crushed red chili flakes (optional)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
6oz (180g) crumbled feta cheese (about 11/3 cups)
2 english cucumbers

Mix tomatoes with basil, olives, vinegar, pepper, chili flakes, garlic and oil. Add cheese, and stir to evenly coat. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or up to 2 days for flavours to meld.

Drag tines of a fork down sides of each cucumber to make ridges, then cut into 1/2" slices. Using melon baller, or small spoon, create a bowl in centre of eac slice. Pat each slice dry and store in fridge until needed for up to 1 day.

Spoon enough cheese mixture into each cucumber to make a nicely rounded serving.

It's best to serve right away, if you leave them too long the cucumber softens and the oil soaks into it. The cheese mixture is also good on bread or crackers if you don't like cucumbers.

[living_out_loud]

I had some extra feta on hand that I needed to use up. I thought about this recipe and changed it into a salad instead. Same ingredients but chopped up the cuc and mixed everything together. It makes a great side dish when you don't want to turn on the stove on a warm day.