Known for adding extra taste and pizzaz to dishes, Bell Peppers may be used raw, steamed, sautéed, or grilled. Brightly colored, crunchy, and flavorful, they are perfect in pasta, rice, salads, soups, chili, stew, casseroles, pizza, sandwiches, wraps, relish trays and more!
Full of vitamins and minerals, bell peppers are nutritious!
Because tangy Green Bell Peppers are an excellent source of vitamins A and C, they help neutralize many free radicals which damage cells. The Antioxidants in bell peppers may minimize atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage often seen in diabetics, cataracts, joint pain and other inflammatory illnesses. "Sweet" (in comparison to their hot cousins) bell peppers are plump, bell-shaped vegetables. They usually range in size from 2 to 5 inches in diameter, and 2 to 6 inches in length.
Inside the thick flesh is an inner cavity with edible seeds and a white spongy core which is full of nutrients. Bell peppers are not 'hot'. They contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaisin, the compound responsible for the 'hotness' found in other peppers. Like their relatives, the chili peppers, bell peppers originated in South America with seeds of a wild variety dating back to 5000 BC. Like many other foods native to this region, bell peppers were carried throughout the world by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers.
Because bell peppers are very adaptable plants, being able to be grown in tropical and temperature climates, as well as very versatile foods, their cultivation spread rapidly throughout the world. They have become a staple in central Europe where they are dried for paprika, a necessity for the flavor of Louisiana Creole dishes, and an integral ingredient in both Mexican and Portuguese cuisines.
A great way of introducing Green Bell Peppers to your family is combining them with favorites such as rice or mashed potatoes.
Served sliced and cold, children will enjoy them as an alternative to candy or other sugar-laden snacks as long as you start them early.
