Bell Peppers

​Bell peppers (also know as sweet peppers) are members of the Night-shade family of vegetables along with potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. Did you know that green, red, yellow and orange peppers all come from the same plant?  Green bell peppers are harvested before they are fully ripe, one reason they are less expensive than other varieties. Green bell peppers will continue to first turn yellow and then red if they are left on the plant to mature.
Storage
Fresh, unwashed bell peppers can be stored in the drawer of your fridge for 7-10 days without losing too much of their nutritional properties. To avoid the peppers from drying out in the fridge, it sometimes helps to put a damp napkin in the drawer to keep the air moist.
Preparation
Peppers are fun to prepare because they come in all different shapes and sizes. To prepare your peppers, wash them with cold running water. Use a small paring knife to cut out the stem and core of the pepper. You should remove the seeds by rinsing the pepper under cold water again. At this point you can leave them whole for stuffing, cut them into rings for salads, or chop and dice them to add extra flavor to your favorite dishes.
Nutrition Information
​Sweet peppers not only add flavor and depth to many dishes, they are also a great source of vitamin C! One single large yellow pepper can provide over 300% the recommended daily value of vitamin C. Green peppers can sometimes cause indigestion unless they are fully cooked.

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Pepper Recipes

Beef and Green Pepper Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is always our go-to when we have lots of veggies.  We switch up the protein- tofu, shrimp, chicken or beef- and throw in whatever veggies we have that week.

Vegetable Run Down
This spicy Jamiacan recipe is a great way to use a lot of the veggies available right now including green peppers, carrots, cabbage, onions and eggplant.  Leave out the spice (or any veggie you don't have) and it will still be delish!

Roasted Potato Fritatta with Peppers and Onions
This works well for any meal- breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a nice vegetarian version of stuffed peppers.  The quinoa and beans provide some protein.
Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 zucchini or yellow squash, finely chopped
• 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved (or fresh chopped if you have them)
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (1½ cups)
• 1½ cups grated pepper Jack or mozzarella cheese, divided
• 4 large bell peppers, top sliced off, seeds and ribs removed

Directions
1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and squash, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from toma- toes (or 1/2 cup water) in bottom of baking dish.
Fill each bell pepper half with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cov- er with foil, and bake 1 hour.
4. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 2 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

This recipe could also be made in a crock pot.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 each chicken thighs and legs
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 8 small potatoes , quartered (optional)
• 4-6 chopped tomatoes (or 1 large can)
• 4 Tbps. Olive Oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375. Rub chicken with salt and pepper and place in bottom of roasting pan or large Dutch oven.

2. Surround the chicken with onions, garlic, peppers and potatoes. Cover with tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil.

3. Cook until chicken falls off bone. About 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.