5.10.2010

Mangia Monday!

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was busy, busy! Whoever thought of holding soccer games, for 7 year-olds at 7:30 AM on a Saturday is CRAZY! As excited as my son was for his first game, as soon as we woke him up the whining began!! Then, on top of that it was bitter cold, raining and the wind was fierce. All in all, it was an exciting game! (which they won btw)

Today I have a great side salad recipe to share with you. It is great to add to your menu when you are grilling, because you can cook it right on your grill - no extra pan in the kitchen!

Enjoy!


Sweet Pepper Salad

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

* 6 medium assorted sweet (bell) peppers, seeds removed, cut in 1/4" strips
* 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
* 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
* Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment Needed:

* 1 sheet (about 2 ft) of reynolds wrap non-stick grill foil

Directions:

1.) Preheat grill on high for 10 min.
2.) Toss peppers with olive oil in large bowl.
3.) Place foil on grill.
4.) Arrange peppers on foil and grill 10-12 min, until tender.
5.) Remove from grill.
6.) Toss with vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper


Bell Pepper FYI:

Peppers, both sweet and hot, originated in Central and South America. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, commercial bell peppers were first produced in the southern United States in 1925.

Peppers can be used in a variety of recipes and can be cooked a myriad of ways, such as: barbecuing, baking, steaming, stir-frying . They are even delicious eaten raw as snacks or in salads. Because of their versatility, peppers are a favorite of vegetarians and vegans.

Peppers come from the Capsicum family which can be split into two main categories - sweet bell peppers and the spicy chillies, such as jalapenos. The difference arises from the presence of capsaicin in chillies but not in sweet bell peppers.

Sweet bell peppers are also known as capsicums, sweet peppers or bell peppers.

You cannot differentiate the sweet bell peppers varieties when they are young because they are all green. As they ripen, they'll change color. Depending on the stage of ripeness and their variety, their colors range from orange, yellow, red, purple, brown, black, ivory or green, and so do their sweetness.

Green bell peppers remain green throughout the ripening process. Thus, you may find it challenging to differentiate the other bell peppers from the green variety before they ripen.

All peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C. Green bell peppers contain as much as two times of vitamin C as oranges while red or yellow peppers have three or four times the daily value of vitamin C.

Besides being loaded with vitamin C, bell peppers also provide vitamin B6, phytochemicals such as lycopene and beta-carotene, folate, potassium and plenty of fiber. Chili peppers contain an additional substance, called capsaicin which also has many health benefits.


Silly Joke of the Day:

What do you call a sleepwalking nun?
........ A Roamin' Catholic


Have a great day and remember: Go Ahead & Indulge!

3 comments:

FOODESSA said...

Hello Nicole...my first time visiting.
I noticed your power is in sweet delights...YUM. I'll be taking a better look later. In the meantime...I found it interesting that you added apple cider vinegar to bell peppers. I made a note of it ;o) Interesting blog.
Thanks for sharing and flavourful wishes, Claudia

Amanda said...

oooh, this looks YUMMY! i'll have to try it ... i wonder how the peppers would grill on the foreman...?

Joyce said...

looks so good....i didn't know the bell peppers have that much vitamins! will have to cook more from now on :)