🎄 Bell Pepper Christmas Tree Appetizer

Ingredients

1 large green bell pepper

1 large red bell pepper

1 large yellow (or orange) bell pepper

200-300 g cream cheese (or a cheese block of your choice)

¼ cup salsa (thick & chunky)

¼ cup apricot preserves or orange marmalade

1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro

Assorted crackers or sliced vegetables for serving

Method

Wash and dry the bell peppers.

Cut the green pepper into a star-shape piece using a cookie cutter (to act as the “star” at the top of the tree).

On a serving plate, arrange the three large bell peppers (red, yellow/orange, green) in a triangular/tree-shape: widest base at the bottom (yellow/orange), then middle (red), then green near the top. Alternatively you can slice them into strips and layer them.

Place the cream cheese block (or spread) in a triangular shape as the “tree body” underneath or between pepper layers.

Spoon the salsa and preserves over the cream cheese block. Sprinkle cilantro on top.

Place the bell pepper star at the top of the arrangement.

Serve with crackers or sliced veggies for dipping/serving.

Tips & Variations

You can use full-size bell peppers as slices rather than mini peppers to maintain your “not mini pepper” requirement.

For a more veggie-forward version, you could skip the preserves and use chopped colored full-size bell pepper strips for “ornaments” on the tree and use hummus or another dip as the “tree trunk”.

If you like roasting, you could roast the bell peppers first (for more depth of flavor) then arrange them in the tree shape.

Make sure your slices are relatively uniform so the “tree” shape looks clean and festive.