All About Bell Peppers

Celebrate veggies all year long with a new vegetable each week! This week, we're highlighting bell peppers.

Bell peppers are like onions -- they are great in almost everything. If I'm using an onion, I am likely adding in a bell pepper too. But bell peppers aren't just great sautéed, roasted, stuffed, pureed or tossed in casseroles, soups, and salads. The are also delicious raw and eaten as snacks. I love slicing bell peppers and using them to dip. Warm dips + bell peppers = my personal veggie-loving heaven.

Bell peppers are great because they have lots of color options and like I said before, they're versatile. I like to buy big bags of bell peppers and slice some to keep in the fridge for snacking, dice some to freeze for adding in soups, sauces, stir-fry, etc. later, and keeping some whole to use in recipes later in the week.

While I love all veggies, let's get deeper into the versatile bell pepper...

Bell Pepper Nutrition:

*1 green bell pepper {about 1 cup chopped} has 30 calories, 0.3g fat (0.1g saturated fat), 4.5mg sodium, 6.9g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, 1.3g protein, 11% Vitamin A, 200% Vitamin C, 14% Vitamin K, 17% Vitamin B6, 7% Potassium

*1 red bell pepper {about 1 cup chopped} has 46 calories, 0.4g fat (0g saturated fat), 6mg sodium, 9.4g carbohydrates, 3.1g fiber, 1.5g protein, 93% Vitamin A, 317% Vitamin C, 12% Vitamin E, 9% Vitamin K, 22% Vitamin B6, 17% Folate, 9% Potassium

Bell Pepper Fun Facts:

*Bell peppers are available year round, especially green bell peppers; red, yellow, and orange are more readily available in summer months and early fall.

*Red bell peppers are ripened green bell peppers; they are sweeter {since they've vine-ripened for longer than the green ones}

*Bell peppers are not spicy. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are sweeter. Green and purple are more bitter.

*Bell peppers are members of the nightshade family, like eggplant and tomatoes.

*Bell peppers are packed with antioxidants like flavonoids, carotenoids, and more. The riper the bell pepper, the more vitamins & antioxidants the bell pepper likely has.

*To best absorb all the beneficial nutrients in bell peppers, consume with a source of healthy fat. Your body needs fat to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in bell peppers {Vitamins A, E, and K}

*Paprika is dried pimentos or red bell peppers.

*High, prolonged heat can decrease some of the beneficial nutrients in bell peppers.

Bell Pepper Tips:

*When shopping for bell peppers, buy vibrantly colored bell peppers that are firm. Avoid shriveled, bruised, or bell peppers with spots.

*Store bell peppers in the fridge in a plastic bag for a week or so.

*One medium bell pepper = 1 to 1.25 cups diced

Bell Pepper Recipes:

Crock-Pot Chicken, Sweetpotatoes, and Peppers

Breakfast Stuffed Peppers

Egg Stuffed Portobellos with Crawfish

Philly Cheese Steak Tacos

Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Recipes from other blogs:

*Chinese Aubergine and Bell Pepper Pizza with Cheddar and Fresh Herbs from The Spicy RD
*Curried Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Dip from The Lean Green Bean
*Capsicum Masala Curry from Blog Explore
*Stuffed Pepper Soup from Prevention RD
*Patatas Bravas with Smoky Romesco Sauce from Rachael Hartley Nutrition
*Rigatoni with Red Peppers & Sausage from Delicious Knowledge
*Caramelized Onion, Pepper & Cheddar Pie from Teaspoon of Spice

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What is your favorite way to eat bell peppers?