Published: 11/24/2014 - Updated: 04/21/2016
Author: Nayeli Reyes1 Comments
The meals around today have inspired in me a sweet idea. I want to talk about a vegetable that I have always thought was delicious no matter how it was cooked. With its bright and different colors, or crunchy texture and sweet flavor, sweet peppers have always made me think of some of the best moments shared around the table; moments that always have a fresh and juicy touch.
Sweet peppers belong to the same species as chili peppers or common spicy peppers, Capsicum annuum, but they have been modified by man over the span of centuries, and have been selected by the most appetizing characteristics to be meaty, sweet, fragrant and colorful. This process of selection began centuries before the Europeans arrived at America, and it will continue on so long as we continue to enjoy them today. Peppers are incredible in salads, grilled, and made with a bit of broiled cheese on top. They fit very well with different animal meats or as an ingredient in delicious table breads.
Sweet peppers, bell peppers, or just peppers, have a nutritional value that is expressed in the color of their skin, which gives us an idea of the carotenoid composition when you eat them. All peppers are valuable, but, for example, a red pepper substitutes chlorophyll for other pigments, like capsanthin, capsorubin, and betacarotne, during maturation, which is why they aren’t green. All peppers in general are an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps keep the immune system healthy, vitamin A which plays an important role in growth and development, bones and skin are strongly benefitted, and like so many other fruits, they have compound with antioxidant characteristics that allow them to fight processes that cause aging and wear on the body. So enjoy peppers, especially with these recipes that we have provided below:
Pepper muffins
Ingredients
- 3 pieces of pepper, choose different color varieties to make them more appealing
- ½ c. mushrooms, diced
- 1 c. wheat flour
- 1 c. corn flour
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/3 c. gouda cheese, grated
- 1 ½ tsp. paprika
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 c. milk
- 90 grams butter
- 100 grams parmesan cheese, au gratin
Directions
- In a bowl, mix wheat flour, corn flour, sugar, salt, paprika and pepper. Then completely sift the mixture.
- In a separate container, mix the milk, egg, and melted butter. Pour this mixture over the flour and using a blender, blend all ingredients. You will get a dense mixture.
- Add diced peppers, mushrooms, and Gouda cheese and blend them into the mixture.
- Grease and flour the muffin or small bread pans. Using a spoon, fill the pans and tap the sides of them to eliminate any air bubbles. Sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top.
- Bake for 15minutes at 180? C or until they are firm and turn slightly golden.
- Add pitted olives or some meat, like a bit of bacon. Grilled onions could also go very well with these muffins.
Egg-stuffed peppers
Ingredients
- 2 peppers, choose different colors to make the recipe more appealing
- 4 eggs
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 300 grams diced tomato
- ½ c. onion, diced
- ½ c. mushrooms, sliced
- 8 olives, sliced
- 1 c. tomato paste
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- One pinch of thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a frying pan, sauté garlic in olive oil and then add onion. Fry until they soften, then add tomato, mushrooms, and olives. Mix everything very well and set aside for pepper filling. Add salt and pepper to taste for seasoning.
- Cut the peppers in half, transversely. Clean the insides by removing all seeds and creating a hollow bowl.
- Mix the sauce with tomato paste and the pinch of thyme. Fill the peppers evenly and place the peppers on a previously greased baking sheet and carefully break the contents of the eggs into them, as if you were going to fry the eggs. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake at 200? C for 12 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.
- The eggs can be served with other fillings if you like. You could add, for example, 100 grams of diced and previously fried bacon (it might be a good idea to take out the olives if you’re using bacon), or add a bit of turkey breast.
About the author
Stacy
Wow! These peppers sound absolutely amazing! I participate in a bi-weekly organic produce distribution here is Alaska, and I just ended up getting three red bell peppers in my box this wek! I’ll make sure to include these recipes in my cooking this week. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!